


The Hidden Children's Village

by dai_naning



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Agent! Atsumu, Agent! Sakusa, Blood and Violence, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Exes, Illegal Activities, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Infidelity, Kidnapping, M/M, Miya Osamu/Suna Rintarou - Freeform, Spies & Secret Agents, Yakuza, but not SakuAtsu
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-28
Updated: 2020-10-19
Packaged: 2021-03-06 01:47:52
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 12
Words: 57,248
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25565368
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dai_naning/pseuds/dai_naning
Summary: At 5 PM, a white van exits through the thick, tall gates of a private residential neighborhood. An old woman is slumped over a picnic table, heart no longer beating. The milk can lay on the ground as a figure darts off the CCTV sights, hat low over their head.At 6 PM, Hinata Shouyou is declared missing.Agents Miya Atsumu and Sakusa Kiyoomi must put aside their shared past in order to find a child kidnapped under the orders of their Captain. In the meantime, Hinata Shouyou must keep his smarts and do his best to survive until then.
Relationships: Miya Atsumu/Sakusa Kiyoomi
Comments: 52
Kudos: 139





	1. The Collaboration

**[4:50 PM, Residential Park, Aoyama, Japan]**

The Hinata family hailed from a prestigious clan of samurai descendants. They hoarded their wealth all throughout history and passed the wealth to the next generation. Naturally, they live in a rich neighborhood that screamed opulence and thick, safety gates. Away from prying eyes and the lower class, the rich lived comfortably inside these gates.

In a spacious playground, the heir to the current generation of the Hinata family is pushed in a swing by his nanny. His nanny, old Ochako, happily complied with the request of the young master. After all, today was one of the rare days Hinata Shouyou was allowed out of the house.

“Ochako-san, Ochako-san!” Hinata says through his laughter. “Can we get some milk? Mommy says I have to drink lots to grow tall!”  
  


Ochako carefully grabs the chains to stop the swing. “Of course. Shall we go together, young master?”

Hinata swings his legs, humming. “Nah, don’t wanna. I just wanna stay here in the swings.”

The playground is deserted in the afternoon and it is still bright. Not to mention, a security guard is roaming near them. Ochako complies and goes to the nearby vending machine alone. She looks back frequently to make sure Hinata is still in sight. The boy sees this and waves at her cheerfully. Ochako smiles and turns back to the vending machine.

“Oh, my apologies,” someone says next to her. She looks up as an arm wraps around her and before she can speak, a needle drives to her neck. “I need a bit of your cooperation, you see.”

Ochako’s vision rapidly blurs; she stumbles. The arms around her tighten and bring her over to a picnic table, murmuring soothing whispers to her. Ochako tries to struggle against the pats on her head and fails, slumping down to the table. After a while of waiting, Hinata jumps off the swing and rushes to them.

“Ochako-san?” Hinata asks worriedly. He looks at the person next to her. “What happened to her?”

“Your nanny seems to be sick,” the person replies. Hinata can’t tell what their gender is. “Won’t you be a good boy and ask for help from the security guard over there?”

Hinata nods determinedly and runs to the security guard. The security guard, upon seeing him, bends down so he can speak to him comfortably. 

“Security-san,” Hinata says frantically, “Ochako-san seems to be sick! What should I do?”

The security guard pats his head to calm him. “I see, your friend is sick?” At Hinata’s nod, he says, “then let’s get help. We need to go to an ambulance since they have the tools there. Would you like to go with me?”

Hinata agrees and they quickly make their way to a van. Hinata sees the red cross on the side and feels relief. Ochako-san will now be safe! He eagerly turns to thank the security guard and before he could blink, a towel is pressed to his mouth. Hinata struggles and tries to scream but the grip is tight. He could feel himself get carried and something long wrapped around his wrists. Ropes! His mind is blaring warning signs. Hinata eventually loses the fight and succumbs to sleep. 

At 5 PM, a white van exits through the thick, tall gates of a private residential neighborhood. An old woman is slumped over a picnic table, heart no longer beating. The milk can lay on the ground as a figure darts off the CCTV sights, hat low over their head.

At 6 PM, Hinata Shouyou is declared missing.

* * *

**[8:27 PM, Onigiri Miya, Tokyo, Japan]**

Onigiri Miya is a traditional wooden restaurant that specializes in onigiri, established by one Miya Osamu. Miya Osamu used to be a police officer, specifically in the investigations bureau. He once used to be known as one of the best graduates of his year at the Tokyo Police Academy but decided to quit the force in his third year. He instead focused on attaining a food business degree to achieve his life-long dream of owning a food store.

“‘Tsumu,” Osamu says, wiping down the preparation counter. It’s almost closing time and his brother, Miya Atsumu, is still slumped over the counter. The employees have already clocked out. “Get yer ass outta here.”

“Don’t be an asshole today, ‘Samu,” Atsumu complains. “Didja know, today was really bad? I scored lower than Bok-kun today at sparring practice. I lost to him by five punches and ten kicks. It was embarrassin’.”

Miya Atsumu and Miya Osamu are identical twins, both blessed with six feet of height and maturity beyond their years. Well, Osamu thinks his maturity is on a higher level than Atsumu due to the fact that his twin is behaving like a baby most days. Some days, Atsumu behaves like a normal smug 27-year-old asshole then turns to a whining manchild outside of work. It’s a wonder how Atsumu manages to maintain the respect of his peers. Maybe he’s not, he should ask sometime. 

Osamu sighs and turns around to the large rice cooker. “Were ya the one who challenged him?”

“No, ya think I’m an idiot?” Atsumu runs a hand through his hair. “They signed me up ‘cause I’m the next to him in the rankings. Cowards should’ve done it themselves. I can’t be even mad at Bok-kun ‘cause he’s so damn cheery after it.”

Across him, Osamu is cutting up pieces of fatty tuna. “Uh huh. So why are ya still poutin’ about it?”

Atsumu groans. “It’s ‘cause. The loser has to team up with someone from the field forces.”

The onigiri is almost finished. “What’s so bad about that?”

Atsumu hesitates which makes Osamu immediately suspicious. Atsumu never hesitates in opening his mouth to complain. Osamu should know, with sharing their mother’s womb to dorms with him all throughout the years. “Who is it, ‘Tsumu?”

Instead of replying, Atsumu puts his phone against the dividing counter and flips it around. Osamu’s eyes run across the words, mouthing as he reads the message. When he finishes, he laughs as he places the towering fatty tuna onigiri plate in front of Atsumu.

“Shit, ‘Tsumu,” Osamu chortles. He reaches under the counter to grab a bottle of beer and an opener. “Get drunk, it’s on the house.”

Atsumu sadly pops his bottle open, shaking his head. “Fuck gettin’ drunk, I just wanna pass out to a coma, ‘Samu.”

* * *

**[1:43 AM, Temple Street, Yau Ma Tei, Kowloon City, Hong Kong]**

The Temple Street in Kowloon City is known for its night markets that fill up the entire streets. People flock the night market for the street foods and bargain merchandise, walking shoulder to shoulder with strangers with how packed it is. It’s the perfect place to hang out with your friends after earning a promotion for your job.

It’s also the perfect place to talk about borderline illegal matters.

“I heard from Zhang the shipment was delayed,” a man says to his companion, business suit crumpled from a hard day’s work. The outdoor tent restaurant they are in is full of loud patrons; no one can eavesdrop. “Someone intercepted the boat it was supposed to arrive in.”

“Fuck, the Triad’s gettin’ impatient,” his companion curses, throwing his head back to down his beer, “isn’t this the third time? What the fuck are the hands doin’ on the pier?”

“I don’t know,” the man says, aggravated. “Fuck if I know. The boss said it’s nothing big but it’s fucking hard for us dealers since we’re the ones tellin’ the Triad. I swear man, they have no conscience.”

“I feel you man- Hey, watch it!” A man bumps into their table, making the companion spill his beer. The man murmurs an apology and hastily leaves, quickly disappearing between the throngs of people. “I swear, some people are fucking blind.”

“Just drink it away, man,” the man shakes his bed, gripping his beer bottle tight, “we have a shitty day tomorrow too.”

They click their glasses together and down the alcohol, the liquid’s path down their throat burning. The two men thought nothing of it and ordered more from the haggard waitress who wishes they would leave already. They were disruptive tonight.

Across the tent restaurant, a man stands watching their table. He checks his wristwatch and looks up in time to see the two men slumped over the table. Satisfied, he leaves through an alleyway, blending in with the shadows. He has to hurry tonight; he has a plane to catch.

* * *

MSBY Agent Department  
Subject: Notice of Collaboration

Effective: ASAP

Ordered by: Meian Shugo

Agent Profiles

  
Name: Miya Atsumu  
Rank: Eagle  
DOB: 5/9/1995  
Combat Performance: 4.4/5  
Firearm Performance: 4.8/5  
Occupation: Investigator  
Place of Operation: Japan  
Partner: Sakusa Kiyoomi [PENDING]

Name: Sakusa Kiyoomi  
Rank: Eagle  
DOB: 20/3/1996  
Combat Performance: 4.7/5  
Firearm Performance: 4.5/5  
Occupation: Field Agent (I/L)  
Place of Operation: Japan [PENDING]  
Partner: Miya Atsumu [PENDING]

Notes: Please come to the main building to Mr. Meian’s office for the case files and debriefing tomorrow night. Time: 11 PM, sharp. Tardiness will not be tolerated.

* * *

**Flight** | **Destination** |

All Nippon Airways | HK to JPN |

**Passenger** | **Gate** | **Departure**

Sakusa, Kiyoomi | A34 | 3:20 AM

**Check Flight Status?**

Flight Status: Arrived at Haneda Airport at 7:52 AM. 

  
  
  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! I apologize if it's too short it's the introductory chapter so please bear with me :D I'm excited to write this because this will be the first time I'll dabble in this AU so I hope you will enjoy the chapters I write ᕕ( ᐛ )ᕗ
> 
> Update Schedule: M & F


	2. The Meeting

In 1872, the government sent the first Superintendent General Toshiyoshi Kawaji to Europe to study the police system. He returned the following year and in 1874 established the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department in the Ministry of Interior. This was the first modern police organization in Japan. Police power, at that time, was held by the national government. 

However, there were complications with the territories of authority because the municipal and rural police lines would often cross each other. It caused tension between the police authorities which made the TMPD a huge waste. After a few months of deliberation, the TMPD was disbanded and re-established with clear lines of authority and new additional sub-groups for higher efficiency. 

Law is a two-sided blade people of authority must walk. Most times, there are grey areas that they must consider before abiding the law. One of these is the trade of the rich population that sustains the police force. The job of the police is to protect the country and the rich businesses that make the GDP are also on this list. However, with the predictable outrage from the common people, the National Public Safety Commission (NPSC) and the National Police Agency (NPA) secretly formed a secret sub-group to please the higher echelon of society. Thus, the creation of MSBY.

The MSBY is a hidden sub-group within the 1st Investigation Division and the only sub-group that gives its members the authority to demand assistance from _any_ other branch of the NPA as long as they have the approval seal of their Captain. Their agents, nicknamed Black Jackals, are the watchdogs assigned to the White Lilies, the 0.1% of the higher echelon with ties back to the royal family clans of Japan. Their existence is kept a secret and only the White Lilies, the Minister of State, and the Prime Minister are the only ones who know. Even the President is not aware of it as it was decided it would be the duty of the Minister of State and Prime Minister to solve the matters of the White Lilies.

This idea is taken from the Imperial Protection. The Imperial Protection ensures the security of the Emperor and the Imperial Family. To fulfill the duties of imperial protection, the NPA coordinates the operations with the prefectural police forces domestically, and with foreign counterparts internationally. 

_\- NPA Organizational Structure Files/sub-groups/hidden/un;lock?/CN:MSBYBJ_

* * *

**[1:05 PM, Sun Castle, Miyagi, Japan]**

The Hinata Family, like any other old-money family, has a main clan house. The headmistress, Hinata Kanemi, and her many attendants live in a 9,000 sq. feet traditional house in Miyagi. Located at the top of a mountain, which the locals call the Sun Castle, where the elegant Hinata Kanemi resides. Entry to it is heavily guarded by the descendants of the loyal subordinates of the first Hinata. Only family members are allowed through the tall and metal gates of the Sun Castle.

After a 15 minute drive on the twisting driveway along the mountain, the traditional house will come to view. Trees of orange and red enclose the property, with flowers of yellow and white dot the gardens. In front of the house is a bronze sculpture of the sun god by the late Hidari Jingorou, who was rumored to give it to a Hinata descendant during a courtship in the Edo period. The house has many features but one of the best is the spacious sukiya tea room with comfortable tatami floors and shoji screen doors which open to a sprawling zen garden. The headmistress often enjoys her tea in this room while wrapping herself in the serenity of the garden.

Today, Hinata Shouyou’s mother, Hinata Fumi’s attendance in her tea room is demanded by the headmistress. As of current, she is in one of the guest rooms of the house, assisted in dressing of a kimono by a dozen of Hinata Kanemi’s servants. She came to the house in her best outfit only to be told to change. The old woman never changes. The obi is being fastened around her waist when she finally speaks.

“Do any of you know the headmistress’s mood, today?” The headmistress is known to be a kind woman but is indifferent to Hinata Fumi. As expected, she receives no response. The servants are all loyal to the head Hinata.

When the last pin is in place, she is given a pair of wooden slippers and led to the tea room. The headmistress is already present, sipping tea from a porcelain cup with a man. The guest is in a crisp, black suit. They sit in front of each other on cushions, feet tucked gracefully beneath them. A bamboo tray with two cups and a teapot is held by a nearby kneeling servant. Outside, a gardener runs a rake through the sand of the garden. 

“Hinata Fumi-sama is here,” a servant announces before directing Fumi to a cushion brought by another servant. They seat her next to the guest before retreating to stand ready near the wall while an attendant offers her a cup of tea which she refuses. 

Kanemi rests her cup on a palm above her thighs.“Captain Foster, this is my daughter-in-law, Hinata Fumi. Fumi, this is Captain Foster Samson, the chief of operations of the MSBY group.”

Foster Samson gives Fumi a brief bow. “Thank you for meeting us on a short notice, Hinata-san.”

“Fumi, tell him what happened,” Kanemi instructs. She holds out a hand expectantly to receive a lit kiseru pipe and blows on it. 

Fumi reaches into the folds of her kimono to take out a pile of papers which she hands to Foster. “My son, Hinata Shouyou, was kidnapped in our neighborhood playground. The incident has already been reported to the Tokyo Police. Here are the details about it.”

Kanemi puffs out a cloud of smoke. “The incident has already been off the records, correct Foster-san?” Foster nods. “Excellent. Now, what about the agents in charge of the case?”

“They will be briefed later at 11 PM by their captain,” Foster answers, tucking the papers inside a briefcase next to him. “I shall now be taking my leave, Hinata-sama.”

Foster stands and takes a deep bow to Kanemi and then to Fumi before letting himself be ushered out of the room. As soon as the screen door clicks shut, Kanemi turns to Fumi. A servant hands her a glass of water which she throws to Fumi’s face. Fumi flinches but does not move, clenching her hands tightly instead. The water drenches her kimono easily. Ah, so that's why the headmistress was so insistent on her changing. Always someone ready to make her suffer, well done. 

“Fumi, why do you think I asked Foster-san to take the incident off records?” Kanemi holds out her cup so it can be refilled. The glass is taken back by an attendant who stands ready next to the wall again. Fumi is always amazed at their discipline. “It’s because it will taint our family name. The Hinata Conglomerate exists because of our brand as the top fortress; we are the impenetrable. Our businesses are all related to security and safety. Can you imagine how the media will mock us? Our company, the Hinata Security Walls, losing their heir to a kidnapping?”

Fumi tries to subtly blink the water out of her eyes. “I apologize for it, Kanemi-sama.”

“Don’t just apologize, fix the problem,” Kanemi snaps, setting her kiseru pipe on an offered ashtray. “The Black Jackals will hunt down the kidnappers so do your job and keep the media off your back. When your son is found, make sure he does not talk about it to anyone; keep it a tight secret.”

“What about my husband?”

“Haruto?” Kanemi hums thoughtfully. “Keep it a secret from him. Make up an excuse for Shouyo’s absence. Wait until your son is found and move on as if nothing happened.”

Fumi takes a deep breath. “May I ask for updates concerning the case?”

“No.” Kanemi stands with her servants assisting her. She had always been frail since she hit 60. “Keep your mouth shut and do your part. Your son will be returned to you soon.” She turns to her servants. “Fix her before she leaves.”

Hinata Kanemi leaves the room with servants trailing behind her, ignoring Fumi’s deep bow to her. Fumi keeps her bow until she hears the door click shut before straightening up. A servant comes to her offering a towel with two hands. She takes it and pats herself dry. 

“I will now take you to change,” the servant announces before guiding her back to the guest room. After changing back to her clothes, Fumi is escorted out of the house by a maid to her waiting car. She turns to face the house and bows before climbing inside the car. The maid bowed after her until the car was out of sight.

Inside, Fumi fumbles inside her handbag and takes out a box of cigarettes. Next to her sits her private assistant, Akaashi Keiji, who takes out a lighter from his suit pocket and lights her cigarette for her. The soundproof glass partition is already up. Akaashi is ready as always.

“Any news about my husband?” She asks, taking a long drag. “Where is he now?”

“He was last sighted in Ginza in his rest house,” Akaashi replies, taking out his tablet from his messenger bag. “According to our eyes, he is currently staying with a new model. A noticeable 20% increase in his spending is spent on feminine luxury items.”

Fumi rolls her eyes. “I don’t care about the money. What about the media? Is his sighting with the other model taken care of?”

Akaashi nods, adjusting his glasses. “Yes. We have already contacted the gossip site and showed them some, ah, _people_ from our select security team. They are not a problem anymore.”

Fumi licks her lips, tapping her cigarette on a built-in ashtray next to the drink holders between them. “What about Shouyou? Are there any updates?”

Akaashi shakes his head. “A few men in suits were dispatched to the police station where Hinata-kun’s kidnapping was reported. According to our insider in the station, Hinata-sama has already taken it off the records. The police are also under tight surveillance to make sure nothing slips to the public.”

“Fuck, she really did it,” Fumi let out a wry laugh. “Fucking fast too. Akaashi, I need you to do something for me. Do you know about MSBY? In the NPA?”

Akaashi mulls this over. “No, but I will try to dig information. What about it?”

“The headmistress said they’re assigned to Shouyou’s retrieval. Put some tail on them if you can. And if possible, ask for information about Shouyo’s case and ask if they can let us have a hand on it.”

“A hand?” Akaashi repeats, turning to her.

“Yes, a hand.” Fumi takes another long drag. “I have a feeling it’s something risky but worth the time to invest. And it’s about Shouyou too. I don’t know why the headmistress is so intent on pushing his retrieval to a completely unknown group but I’m sure it’s something related to me. Recently, the old hag has been making moves in taking me off the family register.”

“Should I do something about that?”

Fumi flaps a hand. “No, no. Focus on Shouyou, I know you want to. I’ll take care of it myself. And about the board meeting, is it still on?”

Akaashi taps a few times on his tablet and holds it up for Fumi to read. She hums contentedly after she finishes and gives him a satisfied nod. “Nice job. Take the rest of the day off, I’m sure arranging everything has been a pain.”

The private assistant lets out a quiet chuckle. “Indeed, it has been. I shall take the break with open arms, Hinata-san.”

Fumi cracks a grin. “Take the rest, Akaashi. I have a big feeling you’re going to need it for the next few days.”

* * *

**[3:23 PM, Karasuno Law Firm, Arakawa City, Tokyo, Japan]**

The MSBY Division has contacts with other private-owned businesses all over the country. It doesn’t mean that their division is lacking, it’s because the prime minister has decided that keeping everything into one makes it easy to infiltrate. Behind the legal businesses of these affiliations are the specialized teams for the MSBY Black Jackals. By extension, these specialized teams are members of the MSBY but possess fewer privileges than the main agents.

In a commercial business building, a harried Yamaguchi Tadashi rushes to make coffee. His coworker, Tsukishima Kei, sits calmly behind his desk. A pair of headphones currently play music to his ears while Yamaguchi frets loudly at the old coffee machine.

“Tsukki!” Yamaguchi exclaims, holding up one of their best mugs. “The coffee machine is acting up again.”

“Shut up, Yamaguchi,” Tsukishima says, eyes closed. “And Miya-san will bring his coffee as always, anyway. He’ll refuse your coffee and you’ll end up drinking shitty brown water.”

“But what if he doesn’t?” Yamaguchi counters, pressing down hard on the buttons. “We need to prepare, Tsukki!”

Tsukishima sighs and takes his headphones off. Yamaguchi gulps. “Yamaguchi, will you please sit down? I’ll ask Miya-san for you.”

“Ah, don’t do that!” Yamaguchi sets the cup down. “Okay, okay, I’ll wait for him at my desk.”

Tsukishima waits until Yamaguchi sits at his own desk before taking out his phone and opening the messenger app.

K: Yamaguchi wants to know if you want coffee

BJ M. A: Ah, tell him not to bother~ I brought my own

K: K

BJ M. A: More importantly Tsukishima-kun, is it alright for me to arrive?

K: ?

BJ M. A: I mean, are you guys decent when I come in?? :O After all, you’re both cooped up in that room all by yourselves~ ;)

K: You’re lucky you’re bringing your own coffee otherwise I would’ve spiked it a long time ago

BJ M. A: Wow how mean >:( I’m telling on you

K: I’d like to see you try

Yamaguchi fidgets on his chair, drumming his fingers on the wooden table. Tsukishima lets him and closes his eyes again, leaning back to his office chair. Secretly, he lowers the volume of the music and keeps his ears alert. He can hear Yamaguchi typing on his computer and opening a drawer. He’s probably going to snack on some candies; Tsukishima smiles knowingly. The other man has a sweet tooth comparable to a toddler; it’s quite endearing.

“Tsukki?” Yamaguchi asks timidly. He opens an eye in response. “Can I play some music out loud? I forgot my earphones at home.”

Tsukishima takes his headphones off and lets it rest around his neck. He sinks further to his chair and closes his eyes again. “Do what you like.”

Yamaguchi mumbles a quiet thanks and hits a key. Immediately, the first notes of a 90s R&B band plays. Yamaguchi’s typing continues in time with his humming. There’s some rustling of papers then a silent “Ah.”

Tsukishima quickly sits up and finds Miya Atsumu on the doorway, holding a to-go holder full of cups. Atsumu meets his eye and knocks on the open door cheekily making him grimace. Yamaguchi stands up, back straight and looking like he wants to pass out. He feels a bit of pity for him and also stands up, giving Atsumu a _look_.

“M-Miya-san-!” Yamaguchi does a hasty bow. “It’s nice to see you again!”

Atsumu holds up a calming hand. “Yamaguchi-kun, ya gotta relax. Here, I bought some coffee. ‘N I keep tellin’ ya just request a better coffee maker from the HR.” He hands the coffees to Yamaguchi who quickly went to him and set it down on the table. Atsumu closes the door behind him and walks over to the designated ‘snack area’ in the cramped office. “Shit, look at that. That’s so fuckin’ old. Well, the refrigerator is okay though.”

“It’s okay, Miya-san,” Yamaguchi insists, carefully taking the coffee labeled for him and hands Tsukishima his, “this is all temporary anyway.”

Atsumu looks apprehensive. “If ya say so. Oh, do you have the files ready?”

Yamaguchi nods and picks up a thick folder almost bursting from the many papers inside. Atsumu groans upon seeing it; Tsukishima chuckles and sits down. “It’s all here, Miya-san. Sawamura-san made sure to give you the notes you want, too. He did say he had problems with getting the audio files so he hopes they’re clear enough for you.”

Atsumu takes it, tiredly looking down at it. “It’s okay, it’s okay. The fact that you managed to find audio sources is already amazin’ in itself. Tell Samawura my thanks.”

“Sawamura-san says it’s no big deal, just to stop causing too much mess during your missions,” Yamaguchi replies, laughing at Atsumu’s sheepish look. 

Atsumu looks down at his watch and groans. “Okay, I gotta go now. Thanks for doin’ this guys. Have fun but not too much fun?” He winks at Yamaguchi causing red to spread on the young man’s freckled cheeks. Yamaguchi blurts out a meek goodbye while Tsukishima stares daggers at Atsumu. 

“You’re not going to ask about Sakusa-san?” Tsukishima asks, making Atsumu pause on his way out. “That’s progress.”

Atsumu turns to give him a bitter smile. “Don’t think I need to ask anymore. Thanks for holdin’ back all these years, though.”

Tsukishima is a bit taken aback before he schools his expression. Shrugging, he puts his headphones on. “Then, take care on your way out.”

Atsumu bids them a cheery farewell before closing the door. 

“Tsukki, what was that about?” Yamaguchi asks hesitatingly. 

Tsukishima closes his eyes and sighs. “Sakusa-san seems to be back in Japan already. Miya-san won’t be pestering us about it anymore.”

“Oh, that’s great!” Yamaguchi pauses. “But why did he seem sad?”

“Because,” Tsukishima opens his eyes to look at Yamaguchi, “it doesn’t erase the fact that Sakusa-san left three years ago. Right now, Miya-san is conflicted about dealing with it.”

Yamaguchi frowns. “Tsukki, do you really not know why he left without saying anything?”

“I don’t. Even if I wanted to, I’m not in the Intelligence Department. But it seems like Sakusa-san sent the request directly to Meian-san. Well, I’m sure he has his reasons and Miya-san knows this too well. After all, it’s not Sakusa-san’s nature to abandon things halfway.”

Yamaguchi considers this. “Then, why would he…?” He gasps and Tsukishima’s eyes reflexively snap towards him. “Tsukki, I think I have an idea.”

Tsukishima regards him closely. “Well, if it’s something _you_ thought then there’s a chance it might be true. Why, does it open up another case?”

Yamaguchi nods grimly, taking out a tablet from a drawer. “Tsukki… I think we might be opening a case from three years ago.”

* * *

MSBY Agents Department

Agent Profiles

Name: Yamaguchi Tadashi  
Rank: Crow  
DOB: 10/11/1990  
Combat Performance: 3.4/5  
Firearm Performance: 2.5/5  
Occupation: Information Specialist  
Place of Operation: Japan  
Partner: Tsukishima Kei

Notes: Under protection. Yamaguchi’s assistance will be made scarce. Please take note of this before making a request.

Name: Tsukishima Kei  
Rank: Crow  
DOB: 27/9/1990  
Combat Performance: 4.1/5  
Firearm Performance: 4.2/5  
Occupation: Bodyguard [TEMPORARY]  
Place of Operation: Japan   
Partner: Yamaguchi Tadashi

* * *

**[5:34 PM, Miya Atsumu’s Apartment, Tokyo, Japan]**

“Fuck, how was it all dead-ends,” Atsumu groans, taking off his glasses before slumping over his workdesk. “Shit, even the audio files were useless, too.”

Atsumu’s office room is a mess. His large filing cabinet has papers spilling from the folders and some stray scratch papers are scattered on the floor. Piles of thick books and reference materials are stacked next to the large oak bookcase filled with books he acquired over the years. The curtains are drawn and the only source of light is his large study lamp, currently on ‘read mode’.

The room is long overdue for a clean-up, he’s sure bacteria are having a festival somewhere around the room. Atsumu sighs and sits up, running a hand down his face. _Don’t do that, you’re spreading germs_. He lets his arms fall by his side and sighs once more. Even now, he still remembers.

Fed up, Atsumu gets up and makes his way to his bedroom. The meeting is at 11 PM and it would be the first time he would see Sakusa in three years. The least he could do is to look the best he could and act like he didn’t cry his heart out all those years ago.

Three years of no contact. Three years of radio silence. Three years of trying to find him. Two years of denying to himself that Sakusa left. A year of more denial that Sakusa probably just left because he had a mission that would take a long time. And remembering him every day even when it hurts to do so.

_But he’s back now won’t it be just great if we can get back together-_

Atsumu takes a deep breath. He takes another breath and opens the closet door. He stares himself down on a floor-length mirror. A charcoal suit for today, the nice one Osamu bought for him two years ago. He chooses one of his best light shirts and dark pants, making sure there’s no crease. 

Atsumu stares himself down on the mirror once more before turning around to his vanity table. Years of working taught him mastering foundation application to cover bruises is an essential in his field. He opens a drawer and takes out a platinum watch from Meian for his birthday last year; the nice one from a high-end brand overseas. 

Next, he puts on a choker. He opts for a thick leather one with satin lining so it doesn’t chafe his skin. He runs a hand over the leather and tries not to think on who bought it for him. Atsumu turns back to the open drawer. He hesitates on a pair of gold studs, running a finger down its small diamond center. He had a ring redone to these as one of his ‘move-on’ attempts and quietly cried about it the next day (he was drunk when he had dropped it on the jeweler).

Atsumu decides _fuck it_ and puts them on. They were fucking expensive and maybe this would show he’s totally over the whole incident three years ago. Maybe. He’s hoping and desperate at this point. Frustrated, he taps on the IA box on the table thrice and says, “Call Osamu.”

The ringing sound and then, “What?”

“I can’t do it,” Atsumu blurts out. “Fuck, I’m so scared seein’ him all these years, ‘Samu. What if I show up like a total loser and he shows up like a total god? I can’t take that, fuck that shit.”

“I didn’t know I had a coward for a twin,” Osamu jeers, “Seriously, ‘Tsumu. Just wear yer best clothes and fuck him up.”

“I can’t,” Atsumu insists, “Well, I mean I _am_ dressing up to my best but like. God, ‘Samu it’s been three years. How do I act? Do I ask him about why he just fucked off and left?”

Osamu stays silent and then, “I doubt asking something personal in a meeting would be professional.”

“‘Samu!”

“Okay,” Osamu says, suddenly serious. Atsumu keenly listens. “Stay calm and just act professionally. Talk about the… the _thing_ in your own terms. If you’re not up to it tell him to fuck off if he brings it up and make sure yer in charge. If anything happens call me and I’ll come right away. Oh, put some cologne. You always forget to put some before you leave.”

“What’s with that advice,” Atsumu complains and cracks his four fingers with a thumb, “is that even solid advice?”

“Atsumu,” Osamu says slowly, “ if that doesn’t work just think of this as another mission with another partner.”

They don’t talk about the tacit _even when you refused to have a partner for the past three years_.

After a few more minutes of pep talk (as much pep talk you can have from an asshole of a twin), Atsumu ends the call and slumps back on the chair. Right, he just needs to act normal. Act normal. Act normal.

* * *

**[?, ?, ?, ?]**

Hinata Shouyo wakes up with a gasp, doubling over from the pain on his neck. He frantically pats on it and finds nothing. Confused, he looks around and finds himself on the floor in a bare room with only two beds, a metal door and a camera on one corner of the ceiling. He looks down and finds himself dressed in a simple white outfit of a shirt and shorts. On his ankle is a tight anklet as thick as his wrist and not as heavy as he expects. A red light shines from it and Hinata pokes it, curious. 

The door opens and a boy around his age is thrown in. Hinata warily watches him and flinches when the boy looks up and meets his eye.

“What are you looking at?” The boy grumbles, sitting on his butt. He’s rubbing his arms raw. “Have you never seen someone thrown before?”

Hinata shakes his head mutely. The boy tsks. Then he looks closely at Hinata and says, “That’s a really orange hair you have there.”

Hinata toys with a strand shyly. “My mama says it's because the sun blessed me.”

“Blessed huh,” the boy mutters and squints at him. “Hey, are you new here?”

Hinata nods and the boy says a bad word making him gasp. Mama says saying those words are bad! This boy might be a mean person!

The boy crawls close to him making Hinata inch back. His eyes are a dark shade of blue, oddly reminding Hinata of blueberries. His hair is dark and seems to be ruffled, straight compared to Hinata’s curly orange hair. Without a word, the boy snakes a hand around Hinata’s neck and pressed down resulting in a sharp sting around his neck. Quickly, Hinata slaps his hand away.

The boy doesn’t seem to mind and stares intently at him. “You, what’s your name?”

“Hinata,” he answers hesitantly, “Hinata Shouyou.”

The boy nods and stands up, holding out a hand. “My name’s Kageyama Tobio. Starting today, you and I will be partners, Hinata. That is if you want to live.”

* * *

**[10:59 PM, Meian Shugo’s Office, MSBY Headquarters, Tokyo, Japan]**

“Well, isn’t this a reunion?” Meian muses, hands steeple on his large mahogany desk. “Why don’t we start with introductions? I feel they’re necessary, don’t you?”

Atsumu turns to his left and looks Sakusa Kiyoomi in the eyes as MSBY Black Jackal Miya Atsumu. “Miya Atsumu. It’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance.”

If Sakusa’s surprised he doesn’t show it and merely takes his offered hand. “Sakusa Kiyoomi,” he introduces himself and firmly shakes Atsumu’s hand. Atsumu is torn between burning it and never letting go again. “It’s nice to meet you again, Miya Atsumu. I hope we will work together as well as we used to.”

On second thought, maybe Atsumu can quickly burn Sakusa before Meian can move.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello!! As promised here is the update (ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ*:･ﾟ✧
> 
> I apologize if it's a bit confusing I tried to make it make sense while not giving everything away hehehe And I'm proud of how this went!! Every location was a meeting in one way or another lololol did you notice?? I just realized it after I finished the chapter it was really funny (＃￣ω￣)
> 
> Anyway, I hope to see you on the next update please let me know what you think about the chapter thank you!! ♡ (⇀ 3 ↼)
> 
> Updates: M & F


	3. The Report

**[11:00 PM, Meian Shugo’s Office, MSBY Headquarters, Tokyo, Japan]**

Meian Shugo has had his fair share of meetings from hell. Most of them are from pompous officials, some entitled White Lilies brats, and some are even with his agents when they have internal conflicts. He’s had them scream profanities at him, cause a racket that the whole floor can hear but he’s handled it with calm and ease. He’s the captain of a bunch of agents whose mental ages are similar to elementary children after all. But this…

Sakusa Kiyoomi and Miya Atsumu have a history that goes back years. They’ve been partners since they have been recruited to MSBY and their success rate as a duo was almost perfect. He never knew about what tied their histories together; he refused to read their background check reports as a courtesy. One paragraph into the report and he could make his guesses. Besides, their history together is the reason for their great performance.

Right now, he kind of wishes they’re all strangers to each other. 

Being a captain of the MSBY Black Jackals has its perks: a bigger pay, government subsidy, and a big office overlooking Tokyo. His office has floor-to-ceiling windows behind his large mahogany desk with a computer and a huge pile of folders neatly placed on his side. There is a file organizer his wife bought him carrying important and blank papers. A family picture is kept safe behind the glass of a small picture frame next to his computer. A total of three bookshelves are spread around the walls, full to the brim with books. His office also comes equipped with a minibar and three couches and a table set for informal meetings. 

The tension in the room is so tight Meian feels a bit suffocated in his spacious office. Sakusa and Atsumu are staring at him, expectantly, pointedly avoiding to look at each other. He clears his throat and tells them to sit down on the two office chairs while he slides a folder for each of them across the table. Sakusa picks it up with a gloved hand while Atsumu asks for a tablet instead. Meian shrugs and passes him one to which Atsumu immediately scrolls through, eyes darting left and right through the screen.

“Yesterday, a White Lily heir was kidnapped from the residential park at 5 PM,” Meian starts, grabbing a remote to close the blinds and turn on a projector, “his name is Hinata Shouyou, age 7, male. He should be brought back alive and unharmed as much as possible.”

“Any requests for ransom?” Sakusa asks, closing the folder. Usually, kidnappings of rich people are resolved with a large ransom. 

“That’s the odd part, there’s none. The family also wants to get the child as quickly as possible so they didn’t want to wait until there was a demand for a ransom. But the thing is, if it was for the ransom they would have already contacted the family but they didn’t. The other thing is that if it was a kidnapping for a child trafficking then they wouldn’t have spent a lot of effort to infiltrate the gated neighborhood.”

“Which neighborhood was it?” Atsumu asks, cracking his fingers with a thumb. 

“Aoyama.”

Atsumu whistles. 

“So you think it was on purpose but it’s not for traffickin’ or ransom. The Hinata family… The Miyagi Hinata family?” At Meian’s nod, Atsumu leans back. “Do they have any mess we cleaned up recently? Maybe someone has a grudge on ‘em.”

“The only dirt we know about the Hinata family is the headmistress’s son’s ‘flings’,” Meian does air-quotes, “which the Hinata family easily suppressed so it’s mostly out of the newspaper and the public’s eye. Other than that, maybe the succession? I heard that the head Hinata’s health is being closely monitored by the other members of the board.”

Sakusa grimaces. “Ugh. Rich family dramas are the worst.”

Atsumu coughs. “Okay. Anything we shouldn’t do?”

“Just the usual: do whatever you need to as long as it doesn’t make it to the public or,” Meian grins, sharp, “you’ll face the hell of the PR team.”

Sakusa and Atsumu suppress a shiver. Knives and guns might hurt but the wrath of the PR agents could kill. The agents who gave the PR Department a nightmare are shamed through a large cork board in the training arena. It used to be a cork board but after the Tokyo Tower Fuck-Up, the PR Department upgraded it to a 136’’ LCD wall display. It’s a social execution.

“The other departments are at your disposal as usual,” Meian says. “This is a top-priority case. You can also request help from the other agents if you want.”

“There’s no need,” Sakusa says. “I’m sure we’ll be able to do it by ourselves.”

Atsumu keeps quiet. He doesn’t know what to say so he looks at Meian expectantly. Meian dismisses them and holds up a hand when they start getting up.

“Ah, wait. Atsumu you can go. Sakusa, stay for a bit.” Atsumu hesitates before nodding and going to the door. He walks out without looking back, spine straight and head held high. Sakusa watches him from the corner of his eye until the door closes behind him. He exhales before turning back to Meian who gives him a knowing look.

“You’re probably wondering why I assigned you back here,” Meian starts, watching Sakusa closely, “when you made that request 3 years ago. Not to mention, it’s with Atsumu too.”

When Sakusa says nothing he says, “The case I gave you just now is connected to your request.”

Sakusa’s eyes widen and he stands up, staring at Meian incredulously. “How? I thought they unrooted themselves from Japan?”

Meian’s face turned dark. “That’s what we thought too but recently the child trafficking activity has been increasing in rural areas and slums in the cities. Other agents were already sent to minimize it but the trade is still going strong. The ages of the children also match. I think they’re starting it all over again.”

Sakusa clenches his fist, mind running a mile a minute. Were all those days of hopping from country to country useless? Did he just keep chasing leads when it had been at home all this time? Did he leave Atsumu all for nothing?  
  


Sakusa slowly relaxes his grip and asks, “Does Atsumu know?”

Meian shakes his head, staring at Sakusa with something akin to pity. “Do you think he would avoid your gaze if he knew? He would tell you off for keeping it from him.”  
  


Sakusa ignores the sting and shrugs. “Exactly why I should keep it from him.” He already knew that Atsumu must resent him; he went ahead with that concern in mind when he packed up his bags.

Meian leans back on his high back chair. He considers what Sakusa says and what he really means. He always had his doubts; that Sakusa and Atsumu have something more than being ‘partners’. Atsumu had gone to every intel department on a rampage to find out what happened to Sakusa. The desperation he had was unlike anything Meian had seen. He seemed _broken_. Like a part of him was missing. Sakusa on the other hand has risked everything when making the request: shouldering all the responsibility and his reputation at MSBY. 

“Are you sure you would not regret this, Sakusa?” Meian asks, quietly. “What if he resents you to the point of no return?”

Sakusa ignores the churning in his stomach and keeps his face blank. Just the thought of Atsumu saying it to him makes him want to throw up. “I won’t. I’m seeing my promise through to the end.”

Meian sighs. Damn kids and their promises. He flaps a hand. “Okay, okay. If that’s what you want. You’re dismissed. Your apartment is ready and open for you, the key’s in the inventory. Everything else is good to use too.”

Sakusa bows. “Thank you. I’ll be taking my leave now.”

“Sakusa,” Meian calls out when he’s at the door, “please think over it. Atsumu deserves to know the truth too.”

Sakusa says nothing and closes the door with a quiet click. Meian sighs in disappointment. Seriously, if only his agents would know how to communicate outside of their operations. Whatever, it’s not his business to interfere anyway.

* * *

Sakusa steps out of the office, shoving his hands to his pant pockets. He knew Atsumu would be displeased with him, even hate him. He thought he could handle it but seeing Atsumu’s blank eyes directed at him scares him. Like he’s a nobody.

But what’s done is done. He made a promise and he always made it a point to see it through. Sakusa turns to the secretary outside of Meian’s office. He quietly knocks on the glass counter and patiently waits for her to look up.

“Yes, how may I help you?” The secretary asks, pausing her typing.

“The man who just exited, did he leave already?” Sakusa asks.

“Oh, Miya-san?” Sakusa nods. “He already left, he looked kind of sad. Is everything alright?”

“Ah, it’s nothing. Thank you.” Sakusa steps back and retreats down the hallway to the elevators. 

An employee passes by Sakusa and pauses at the secretary’s counter, holding a box. He gapes and turns to the secretary. “Wait, Sakusa-san’s back?”

The secretary blinks, confused, but keeps her smile. “I think so, yes. Why?”

The man eagerly puts down the box and leans in close to whisper. “That’s the legendary Sakusa-san whose looks could kill! They say only Miya-san can calm him down! But I heard he left for overseas work without telling Miya-san. How cruel.”

“Oh, they used to be partners?” At the man’s eager nod, she says, “I think there’s more to it though. They both stepped out of the room really sad.”

The man tsks and picks up his box again. “Well, I guess they would be sad to see each other after 3 years. I mean, they’ve been partners for years.”

The secretary looks at the closing doors of the elevator. “Maybe. Or maybe it’s regret.”

* * *

**[1:02 AM, Miya Osamu’s Apartment, Tokyo, Japan]**

Miya Osamu was just getting ready for bed alone (his boyfriend, Suna Rintarou, is unfortunately pulling double shifts at the hospital) when his phone lit up from a notification. Someone’s in front of his door. He taps on the security app and finds Atsumu standing outside, peeking at the camera.

Osamu sighs and walks out to let his twin in. When he sees Atsumu, he silently holds his arms open. Atsumu hugs him tight, tears spilling down his face. Osamu reaches behind him to close and lock the front door before hugging him back.

“Did ya clean up before comin’ here?” Osamu asks, running a hand through Atsumu’s dyed locks. 

“N-No.” Atsumu burrows his head to his twin’s chest. “Didn’t- Didn’t have the time. Jus’ got into my car and drove straight ‘ere.”

Osamu hums and walks them to the hallway bathroom. “Take a bath then. Ya stink.”

Atsumu sniffles. “M’okay. D’ya have the mango bubble bath?”

Osamu sits him down on the closed toilet and opens a cabinet to take out a bottle. “Here.” He goes to the bathtub and sets the temperature to a warm setting before turning the water on. When it’s halfway full, he turns to his twin. “Get yer clothes off. That shit’s expensive.”

Atsumu lets out a wet laugh. “Think my snot’s already ruined its price.”

“Ya idiot there’s a thing called dry clean. Jus’ bring it to the laundry place.” He tugs on a sleeve. “C’mon, get ‘em off.”

Atsumu slowly complies while Osamu keeps an eye at the water before turning it off. Atsumu has placed his clothes on a pile on the counter which Osamu sweeps to his arms and jerked his head to the bathtub. “Get in ya dummy.”

Atsumu slowly lowers himself on the tub under Osamu’s watchful eye. “‘M’not gonna drown, ‘Samu. Stop watching, it’s freaky.”

Osamu rolled his eyes. “Shut up, when yer done holler.”

Atsumu glares at him while pouring a ridiculous amount of bubble bath. “I can get myself out, thanks.”

Osamu raises an unimpressed brow. “I mean, might as well not risk it. But anyway, after yer done get some new clothes on. Ya stink.”

“‘Samu, get out before I throw this bottle at ya.”

Osamu cackles before walking out, flipping him a middle finger. “Don’t be a dick to the owner of the house, doofus.”

Atsumu drops down until his body is submerged in the water, nose above it so he can breathe. He blows bubbles and smells in the mango scent from the bubble bath. He lets his body relax, eyes closing from the warmth of the water.

Sakusa… He still looks the same. A bit older but the same nonetheless. His dark curled locks are still as wavy as ever. The two moles above his right eyebrow are still as cute as Atsumu remembers it, making him think of stars as always. He still wants to put two of his fingers on it and maybe kiss it if he can. Sakusa is still as quiet as ever, still as grouchy as ever. But he’s still beautiful and Atsumu still wants him after all those silent days.

Atsumu gets out of the bath and drains it, making sure there are no leftover bubbles. He grabs a towel from the heated rack and wraps it around his waist. He glances over to the sink mirror and stares at himself. His dyed blond hair is plastered to his head and his brown eyes look dull with the bags under them. He sighs. He really met Sakusa like this for the first time in years?

Atsumu dries his feet on the mat outside of the bathroom and puts on the fluffy slippers Osamu laid out for him. He makes his way to the open bedroom and walks in to find Osamu fluffing out the pillows. When Osamu sees him on the doorway he jerks his head to the dresser. He complies and gets dressed, taking out the sleepwear he left there last time.

He joins Osamu on the bed and links their pinkies. Osamu reaches to the lamp and turns it off, settling back to the bed.

“How did it go?” Osamu asks quietly. He can feel Atsumu tightening his pinkie. “Was it bad?”

“I… I just really miss him, ‘Samu,” Atsumu admits just as quietly. “Seein’ him there after 3 years made me realize how much I miss him even when he left without sayin’ anything to me. Isn’t that dumb? He left me without even a note and I still like him. Ain’t I bein’ stupid? He didn’t even say anythin’ to me about it during the meeting. We didn’t even talk.”

Osamu considers this before saying, “I don’t think so. Ya knew him for so long it’s only natural to miss someone after years of not seein’ him. I don’t know what really happened between ya, it’s yer business and I’m here to listen if ya wanna tell me. But, it’s yer feelings, you’re entitled to them. Don’t apologize for them.”

“I still want to take him back,” Atsumu shakily whispers, “God, ‘Samu. I really missed him. All those years don’t even do shit to make me hate him. Even if he gives me a shitty excuse I’ll still take it and forgive him easily.”

“I doubt his excuse is something dumb,” Osamu says. “I only knew him since ya introduced him to me but Sakusa… You know it too. You know Sakusa won’t do anything without a reason and that he’s probably biding his time to tell ya. Still, it’s shitty of him to just leave without sayin’ anythin’ though.” He smacks Atsumu’s shoulder. “Get some sleep. Yer meetin’ him tomorrow, right?”

Atsumu unlinks their pinkies to rub at his shoulder before linking them back. “Yeah, we’re havin’ a case about a kidnapping. It’s a weird case. Anyway, wake me up early tomorrow so I can get changed at my house.”

Osamu hums and closes his eyes. “I already set an alarm, I open the shop early every day anyway. Jus’ go to sleep and stop talkin’.”

Osamu listens to Atsumu’s breath even out. Sakusa is really back in Japan. As he expected, Atsumu is a wreck after the meeting. 

When Osamu first met Sakusa Kiyoomi, he was this tall guy with a sharp stare that could cut glass. Atsumu introduced him as his classmate from the academy, someone who he knew very well. They bickered the whole time and Suna had remarked that they were like oil and water; their personalities did not match at all. But to Osamu, somehow, they worked well together. They talked about things that Osamu has no idea about and he felt relieved that Atsumu could be close to someone like that.

Sakusa had looked at Atsumu like he was someone precious and Osamu saw first hand the lengths he would go for to protect Atsumu. Atsumu seemed to return the affection by taking Sakusa’s prickly character in stride, respecting his fastidious tendencies. His brother would always have a spare face mask and a sanitizing spray on him. Osamu had been out of Atsumu’s life for some time and it seemed like Sakusa had kept Atsumu company in those lonely years.

Osamu had his suspicions, even before Atsumu had come clean as to how he knew Sakusa. He knew Sakusa played a big part in Atsumu’s well-being with the way he handled Atsumu’s nightmare once. Suna had some time off from the hospital and all four of them went away to a retreat in a spacious cabin in the woods. Atsumu and Sakusa had shared a room while Suna and he in another one. In the middle of the night, he got thirsty and went out to the kitchen to grab a bottle of water only to see a peek into the open door of their shared room.

Atsumu had been quietly crying while Sakusa embraced him, murmuring to him as he gently rocked him back and forth. Atsumu had looked like a child curled up in Sakusa’s lap, body shaking in his sobs. That was the first time Osamu had seen his twin with his walls torn down. 

Osamu stares at his twin who shares the same face and same DNA as him. They were brought together to this world and he promised they would leave it together. Atsumu had been taken away from him at a young age and was brought up in a shittier environment than Osamu could imagine. The Atsumu from that day and the Atsumu when he met him again was different. In that time Sakusa was the only person who was by his side. He was the only one who saw Atsumu change over those years.

If someone were to ask Miya Osamu on who he trusts his brother with he would still answer Sakusa Kiyoomi. He might not know Sakusa as well as Atsumu but he sure recognizes it when someone deeply cares for Atsumu.

* * *

**[?, ?, ?, ?]**

“Hinata, there are a few rules you need to know,” Kageyama says from his bed. Apparently, it’s bedtime and the lights are turned off. The only light in the room is from the CCTV camera on the ceiling. “Don’t be an idiot and ignore these, okay?”

Hinata drags the thin blanket up to his chin. “Okay, Kageyama. I promise.”

“Tomorrow, you’ll probably get a physical exam,” Kageyama says, “I’m sure they already did one on you when you were asleep but they would want results when you’re awake too. Whatever you do, try to act normal. Make sure you’re not lacking and make sure you’re not excelling. Don’t stand out.” There’s a bit of rustling and then Hinata feels something hit his face. “That’s a protein bar, eat it. I’m sure you have nothing in your stomach.”

Hinata blindly rips the foil open and bites into it. “Thanks, Kageyama. But, why would I need to do bad?”

“It’s ‘cause we all have a price in this place,” Kageyama says, “I still don’t know it but one day we would get taken away from this place.”

“Isn’t that good?” Hinata asks eagerly. “This place is scary. They just took me from my nanny when she was sick. I want to go back to see if she’s okay.”

Kageyama stays quiet before saying, “I don’t know. But I’m sure it’s nothing good. So just shut up and listen. Next, make sure your price stays down. After you’re done with the physical they’ll give you a number. Make sure it doesn’t go up to ten million. I’ll be having physicals tomorrow too so stay close to my friends. I’ll introduce you to them tomorrow. Just, keep your head down and don’t attract attention. I’ll tell you more tomorrow, I’m tired.”

“Okay, good night Kageyama,” Hinata whispers. He hears a grunt in reply and tries to close his eyes. But, he doesn’t have his teddy bear and feels scared. He’s in a scary place he doesn’t know and he doesn’t know what happened to Ochako-san. Hinata hopes she’s okay; she is a good nanny to him.

“Dumbass, I can hear you thinking,” Kageyama grumbles. “Go to sleep.”

“Kageyama, how did you get here?” Hinata asks quietly. “Were you taken too?”

Hinata thought he had fallen asleep when Kageyama said, “I wasn’t taken. I was given. My shitty mother left and left me to an even shittier father who sold me to pay off his gambling debts. Next thing I know, I’m dragged off here with the ankle lock and stuff. Whatever, I have nowhere to go back anyway. What happens to me from here will be it.”

That’s… That sounds horrible. “You don’t want to get out of this place?”  
  


Kageyama scoffs bitterly. “Even if I wanted to, we can’t. We’re children and this place is guarded by adults. And even if, by some miracle, we go past them, where would I go? I know what happens to kids who have nowhere to go. They get sent to an orphanage. What then? Who will feed me? It’s just me all over again. Whatever, go to sleep. Stop talking and close your damn eyes.”

Hinata shuts his mouth and covers his face with the blanket. Kageyama must be tired so maybe that’s why he’s cranky. 

Hinata wonders what it would be to live like that. Whenever he rides the car to the city, he would see some houses in bad shape. The paint looks old and their gates are so short he’s scared they would get robbed easily. Did Kageyama live in a house like that while Hinata lived in a big, nice one? Ochako once said that the kids there mostly did everything and lived on their own without relying on their parents. Was Kageyama cooking his own food while private chefs prepared Hinata’s snacks? Suddenly, Hinata feels ashamed of his easy life.

“Hey, Kageyama.”

An irritated sigh. “What.”

“You’re strong.”

Hinata hears no response and closes his eyes. He almost startles when he hears Kageyama whisper, “What’s up with that, dumbass.”

Kageyama doesn’t sound so angry when he replies so Hinata closes his eyes and finally tries to sleep. Tomorrow, he will do his best to follow Kageyama’s rules. After all, he must want to help him so they must be friends now right?

Hinata somehow finds the urge to smile. He never had friends before so having one, even in this scary place, makes him happy.

* * *

**[?, ?, ?, ?]**

In a traditional restaurant, especially an upscale one, they offer private booths for VIP clients. The walls are soundproof to ensure privacy and the servers are under a contract to keep mum about the meetings inside these rooms. The room has tatami floors and a low oak table with cushions for seats. Aside from taking pride in their traditional interior, the restaurant also takes pride in the insurance of privacy in these booths. It’s a perfect place for meetings such as the one happening in one of the rooms. 

“Hinata Shouyou, age 7.” A man slides a folder across a table. The sounds of the restaurant are muted through the shoji doors of the private room. “As you requested.”

The woman across him eagerly picks it up and flips through the papers, her smile widening as she goes. She slides a red-painted nail down the child’s profile, taking note of his orange hair. She clicks her tongue in agitation.

“Why is his hair so orange? I wanted someone with dark hair.” She slams the folder down the low table. “Did you not listen to my request? I want someone who can match the description I told you.”

The man clears his throat. “Ma’am, he was the one you requested. We just followed your instructions.”

The woman grits her teeth and throws the folder to the man’s face. “Imbecile! I wanted a dark-haired child! How dare you speak back to me.” She turns to the man next to her. “What is this? You said they would solve my problem. Did you lie? Did you lie to me?”

The man calmly takes the picture. “We can just dye his hair. I’m sure that would be enough since he would only inspect the child one.” He gives the woman a smile. “Please calm down, it can be easily solved.”

The woman takes a deep breath and puts a hand on her chest. “Okay, okay. You’re right, we can solve it.” She turns to the man across her. “I’m sorry for my outburst. We’ll take him. I’m excited to have him. How long before we can have him?”

The man glances warily at the other man and clears his throat. “Since he’s new we still have to keep him for a long time. We need to evaluate him so we can see the potential he has and price him correctly. I hope you understand.”

The other man gives a light laugh. “Oh, the money would not be a problem. We’re willing to pay whatever price he has. As long as he comes to us safe and sound. Now, about the… Hinata family. Is there any news about them?”

The man shakes his head. “Oddly, they haven’t done anything. According to my men in the police force, they haven’t filed for any missing person’s case. It’s almost as if… they’re unbothered.”

The other man considers this. “Don’t worry we’ll take care of it. Just make sure the child will be ready by next month. We need to make sure he’s not defective. Train him well.”

“Of course.” 

“Then, let’s get going. I still have to go to Shibuya,” the woman says and stands up, grabbing her expensive bag. The diamond drop earrings sway as she gets up, her silver bracelet twinkling under the lights. “Send the child as soon as you can.”

The man stands up to bow after them, waiting until the shoji doors are shut close. He then sighs and calls an associate.

“Hey, what the hell was with my meeting?” He hisses. “The buyer’s like a total fucking psycho!” He pauses to listen. “Shit, I knew what kind of person she is but to actually see a psycho. What a bitch, she threw a fucking folder at me. Yeah, yeah they’re willing to pay any price for the kid. Did you take care of the payment for the- Yeah, that one? Good, good. The police seem to be not doing anything right now so let’s just finish this transaction and go quiet for a couple of months.” 

The door opens and a server enters with a tray of dishes. He waves her off when she offers to pour his sake. “Yeah, I’m telling the doctors to hurry the process up. What about the other kid, Kageyama? Is he almost ready? That’s good.”

The door closes behind the server and he picks up his chopsticks. “We’re making big money right now. Let’s keep at it before unrooting again. The visas? I have an inside man don’t worry about it, just do your job. How long before we move again?” He chews on a piece of steamed fish. “Ah, in four months? Okay, got it.”

As he picks up the cup, his gold ring clinks with the porcelain. The heavy ring glints with the three stars forming the Orion’s Belt. A simple ring, easily overlooked by many people. Just like the owner of the ring, able to exit the restaurant without any of the workers remembering his face.

* * *

**[1:30 AM, Miya Osamu’s Apartment, Tokyo, Japan]**

Osamu runs a hand through Atsumu’s hair as he brings the phone to his ear. “Hello, Kita-san? I’m afraid I’ll be needing your services.” Osamu eyes the choker still on Atsumu’s neck. “I think I need to pay Sakusa-san a visit.”

On the other side of the call, Kita hums. “ _Is that so? I heard he’s back but aren’t you being too hasty, Osamu?_ ”   
  


“Nah, I think it’s long overdue,” Osamu replies, taking his hand off Atsumu’s hair. “We haven’t had a proper chat in years, anyway.”

After a moment of silence, Kita asks, “ _Are you finally going to demand answers from him?_ ”

“‘Tsumu’s too nice to demand it from him, I’ll be doin’ us a favor,” Osamu replies. “Can you find him for me, Kita-san?”

“ _Of course_ ,” Kita answers, “ _I’ll have his address ready for you in an hour._ ”

Osamu grins, fox-like, “Thank you, Kita-san. Your services are appreciated.”

After a goodbye, Osamu ends the call. He stares out at the balcony glass doors and thinks about the pros and cons of riding his motorcycle again. Well, what Suna will not know won’t hurt him. It’s about time he rides his baby again, anyway.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello~ The update is here!! The next chapter will finally make the fic pick up speed so please wait patiently until Friday~!! (´ ε ` )♡
> 
> On a side note, I'm kind of regretting putting a chapter title because I just realized I need to put them on each one and make them make sense ㅜㅜ
> 
> Anyway, I hope this wasn't too boring for you and see you in the next chapter!! Please let me know what you think about the fic!! And I'm sorry if the meeting about the buyers was so hard to keep track off (⌒_⌒;)
> 
> Update Schedule: M & F


	4. The Clarification

_“I’m sorry,” Sakusa whispers as he carefully runs a hand over the leather choker. “I should have stopped them before they got to you.”_

_Atsumu sniffles as he grips Sakusa’s thin shirt tighter. “‘S okay, Omi-kun. My fault for bein’ weak.”_

_“It’s not your fault,” Sakusa argues, “they’re just big bullies, Atsumu. I should have been there.”_

_“Mimaru-san told you to do chores, Omi. Ya can’t get out of that, y’know?”_

_“But still,” Sakusa insists, “I’m sorry.”_

_Atsumu stares at Sakusa under the dim light of the computer from the low desk. His eyes are shining from the tears and his lips are pulled to a tight frown. There’s a faint bruise under his chin probably from the fight. They should put alcohol on that._

_“Omi-kun, don’t be sad. It’s just a small ouchie, is all-”_

_“I told you I’ll protect you but I can’t even protect you from children our age,” Sakusa mutters. “I’m sorry.”_

_Ah, Atsumu gets it now. “Omi-kun, do ya think I hate you or somethin’?”_

_Sakusa flinches and averts his gaze. Bingo. Atsumu sighs and lifts Sakusa’s chin so he meets his eyes. He clasps their hands together and squeezes once, twice. “Ya know, Omi, I don’t hate you. I should be able to defend myself too, ya know? I’m not a baby anymore and one day we won’t be together all the time.”_

_Sakusa startles. “What? But Atsumu-”_

_“I’m not sayin’ I’m leaving ya, I mean like we would be goin’ to different places or schools ya know? One day, yer gonna leave me too.”_

_“I won’t,” Sakusa says firmly, “I won’t.”_

_Atsumu chuckles and runs a hand through Sakusa’s curly hair. “Yeah, yeah. I know. But y’know Omi, I don’t think I’ll be able to ever hate you. Even if I want to, I don’t think I can. And ya know, as long as I feel somethin’ for ya, I’ll be able to like you back. Even if I hate you, you can just make it up to me. It’s that easy.”_

_Sakusa considers this and asks, “As long as you feel something for me it’s okay?”_

_Atsumu hums. “Yeah. As long as I feel somethin’ for ya it’s okay.”_

_“Okay. What do you feel for me now?”_

_Atsumu blinks at him and then thinks it over. Then, with a big grin, he answers proudly, “I feel like I love you!”_

_Sakusa’s face turns beet red and hides his face in the blanket. The blankets here are thick, unlike the ones at the orphanage. Sakusa must really like it. Maybe Atsumu can sneak it out with them?_

_“I think,” Sakusa mumbles to the blanket, “I love you too.”_

_Atsumu can’t quite hear him so he asks him to repeat what he said. Sakusa refused and instead distracted him with the promise of buying him pudding. Atsumu promptly forgets his mumbling and lights up at the prospect of eating pudding._

* * *

**[5:30 AM, Miya Osamu’s Apartment, Tokyo, Japan]**

Atsumu wakes up to feet shuffling on wooden floorboards. He opens his eyes to see Osamu zipping up his windbreaker by the closet. He’s dressed in his favorite outfit when riding his Kawasaki Concours: red windbreaker and black pants. Atsumu gets up and narrows his eyes at him.

“‘Samu, where ya goin’?” 

Osamu glances at him while he unplugs his phone from the bedside table. “I’m meetin’ up with an investor. Rin’s not here right now to scold me so might as well take my baby for a ride.”

“Yer goin’ to greet a potential investor in _that_?” Atsumu gives him an incredulous look. “Be honest. Where are ya goin’?”

Osamu rolls his eyes as he stuffs his phone in a pocket and rummages around the drawer to pull out his Bluetooth earphones. “I already told ya, I’m meetin’ an investor. It’s just gonna be casual talk since we just need to iron out the details.”

Atsumu still looks disbelieving and gives a pointed look at the bedside clock. “It’s like, 5 AM right now, ‘Samu.”

Osamu heads to the door and pauses to look back at him. “Like I said, just ironing out details. I’m goin’ now, lock the door when ya leave. Rin’s probably gonna come home in a few hours so give him his favorite Chuupet flavor. See ya.”

Atsumu stares at the closed door and leans back into the headboard, pouting. “Did he think I’m dumb or somethin’? He’s clearly up to something.”

He stares up the ceiling. That dream though... It's been a long time since he had a dream about his time at the orphanage that didn't end in him waking up breathless. What's more, it's one with Sakusa. Well, he guesses it's not much of a surprise. Back then, Sakusa had been by his side all the time. He was the only company Atsumu had within four walls of pure white and into four walls of run-down wallpaper.

"As long as I feel something, huh?"

* * *

Osamu rides his Kawasaki Concours through the quiet streets of Tokyo. Some people are already up and making their way to public transportation stations. The shops are starting to be open and more and more cars are showing up in the streets. He looks up. Today might be a cloudy day with a small chance of rain with how the sky is looking. He should hurry to Sakusa’s home.

His music from the Bluetooth earphones is cut off by an incoming call. He quickly answers it. “Hello?”

“Osamu, there seems to be a change of plans,” Kita says straight to the point. “Sakusa will meet you at your shop.”

Osamu halts in front of a red light. “Did he say it to ya, Kita-san? Why not straight to me?”

Kita sighs. “He didn’t say; just told me to tell you that it might be better if you guys meet in an enclosed space. You were planning to meet him by the Tamagawa River right? Change course and head to your store instead.”

Osamu grumbles. “I wanted to ride my bike longer, dammit. Okay, got it Kita-san. Thanks.” He makes a U-turn and grumbles about Sakusa being a kill-joy all the way to the parking lot. The one time he could get away with riding his bike the one time Sakusa made him go back. Damn it.

* * *

**[6:20 AM, Onigiri Miya, Tokyo, Japan]**

Osamu parks his Kawasaki next to Sakusa’s car in the Onigiri Miya parking lot. He takes off his black helmet and kills the engine, kicking the stand to park it. He grabs his key and stuffs it in a pocket. When he gets off his bike, Sakusa is getting out of his car. 

Seeing Sakusa reminds Osamu of the last time he had seen the man. He’s dressed like last time too; a complete three-piece black suit, a black face mask, and his dark leather gloves. With his line of work and whole look, Sakusa reminds him of a modern Grim Reaper. Osamu gives him a nod and jerks his head to the store. His steps are as silent as ever when he walks behind Osamu to the backdoor. 

Osamu quietly opens the door and lets Sakusa in first. He locks it again and takes the lead through the kitchen. He takes pride in his kitchen; the walls, floors, and counters are pristine and the equipment are all top-quality. The metal and steel gleam under the fluorescent lights. He sneaks a glance at Sakusa and smirks when he sees him nod, impressed. 

Osamu takes his windbreaker off to reveal a simple white shirt with the Onigiri Miya logo over the heart and a large one on the back. He takes his apron from a rack. Making sure the knots are tight, he grabs a hair cap and puts it on. He stuffs his bike gloves into one of the windbreaker pockets. Preparation done, he goes out to the counter.

“Take a seat on the counter,” Osamu instructs, washing his hands in the small sink behind the counter.

Sakusa gives him a pinched look but complies. He lifts the wooden partition and pushes past the swinging half-door. He seats himself and patiently waits for Osamu. Osamu opens the rice bin below the counter and scoops out a cup of rice. While cleaning the rice, Sakusa fidgets in his seat. Osamu ignores him and drains out the rice water before drying the bottom of the pot and setting it on the rice cooker. 

He goes to the kitchen and grabs a salted salmon fillet from the fridge. He grabs a kitchen tissue and pats the moisture out of the fish. He pops it in the oven at 204 celsius and returns to the counter.

“Tea or dashi?” Osamu asks.

Sakusa blinks at him. “What?”

“Tea or dashi?” Osamu repeats.

Sakusa fidgets with his gloves and answers, “Dashi, please.”

Osamu nods and takes a bottle of mirin, soy sauce, and sea salt from the pantry. He combines all the ingredients in a small saucepan and lets it boil on a portable stove.

“So.” Osamu grabs a foldable chair from under the counter. “Mind talking?”

“About what exactly?” Sakusa asks.

“I dunno, about the fact you fucked off 3 years ago might be a good start.”

Sakusa slightly inclines his head to the side. “Atsumu doesn’t know about you meeting me, does he?”

Osamu gives him a look. “What are ya gonna do, snitch ta him? Does he even talk to ya?”

Sakusa’s brows pinch close. “That was a low blow.”

“And yer changin’ the subject, Sakusa- _san_. Jus’ answer the question, it ain’t hard.”

Sakusa sighs. “Will it make any difference?”

“Well, yeah. You might even get me to help ya,” Osamu shrugs. “Up to ya if you wanna say it, though.”

Sakusa stares at him in contemplation before saying, “I can’t tell you, I’m sorry.”

Osamu considers this before asking. “Was it an order?”

“No, I asked for it with my own volition.”

Osamu lowers the heat of the stove flame before turning back to Sakusa. “Uh huh. Then why the fuck did ya leave?”

Sakusa becomes quiet and looks down at his hands. Osamu sighs and moves to set the flame high again when Sakusa speaks.

“I can’t tell you because I know you would tell Atsumu,” Sakusa says, “and I can’t have that. If you tell Atsumu, he will stop me from pursuing it.”

Osamu lowers his hand from the stove knob. “Is it a connection to what happened to Atsumu?”

Sakusa lifts his head. “He still refuses to tell you?”

Osamu shrugs though he looks a bit bothered. “He doesn’t want me ta know. I don’t know if it’s because he doesn’t trust me that much yet or. I don’t know, I can’t think of any other reason.”

“He doesn’t want to hurt you,” Sakusa says quietly. “I’m sure if I wasn’t with him he would withhold it from me, too. He trusts you, Osamu. He just refuses to give you even a reason to be guilty.”

Osamu clenches his fists. “I _am_ guilty, Sakusa. He went through god knows what while I got _saved_ -”

“Osamu,” Sakusa cuts him off, voice sharp. “Don’t.”

When they were reunited, Osamu had cried as he hugged his brother. He had thought it was the end, that they would go back to how they were before. Atsumu and Osamu, just the two of them until the end of their days. It had always been just them, two children born from a split cell in the same womb. But Osamu had changed and Atsumu even more. 

Before everything changed, Atsumu had always been a foul-mouthed pig. It might be from the cursing of their parents or maybe even the neighborhood juveniles but his mouth cursed like a sailor. He was unapologetic and always pushing Osamu’s buttons. He was like a burning fire with an endless supply of oil.

The Atsumu who came back to him was different. Blank-eyed and quiet, always sleeping and holed up in his bed. He eats like a bird and walks like a ghost. His neck was always covered by a leather choker and his right ankle had a noticeable red line. Osamu had been worried sick and even when Atsumu lets him sleep next to him like they did before he was still afraid of losing him.

Atsumu refuses to tell him what happened. Something about the way his eyes become hollow stops Osamu from pushing him. Even when he breaks down, he refuses to tell him. The lack of knowledge makes Osamu anxious. His only solace was that Atsumu lets him hold him until he can ride his sadness out.

Sakusa watches Osamu take a deep breath before standing up to turn the stove off. Something beeps in the kitchen so Osamu goes back. He returns with a container and sets it on the preparation counter. 

The counter has two parts: the high counter where whatever is behind it is hidden and the preparation counter where the people can seat themselves in front of the glass partition to watch their food being prepared. Sakusa had only been at Onigiri Miya once because he was always busy but even then he didn’t go in to eat but just to take something for Atsumu. 

Osamu must have seated him in front of the counter so he could be at ease with watching his food.

Sakusa’s penchant for cleanliness was never addressed when he met Osamu and his boyfriend, Suna Rintarou. Everyone else had never asked when they saw him wipe down his seat or surroundings whenever they were in public. Some strangers give him strange looks but let him be. Saying things like _It must be a sickness, it must be a personality trait, maybe?_ Everyone had accepted it silently except for Atsumu.

The other children had called him strange and left him alone. Young Sakusa had been scowling even back then. The others probably feared him to some extent but not Miya Atsumu. Atsumu had dared to ask sullen, young him why he was so averse to anything dirty. Atsumu’s droopy eyes had been wide and brighter than the four white walls of the facility. Sakusa then knew that Atsumu was bratty and loud; two traits he disliked in a person. But Atsumu was also surprisingly kind when he answered and accepted his reasons easily. 

Sometimes, whenever he has to go to unsavory places, he thinks of Atsumu. Of how Atsumu used to calm him down back in the orphanage and how he swiped some alcohol from the nearby convenience store for him. Whenever Sakusa passes by some children out in the streets, he thinks of an Atsumu when they were children. Thinking back now, even when he left, he never stopped thinking about the other man.

“After you got sent to the hospital, I tried tracking down the sniper,” Sakusa says, making Osamu halt in his preparation. “It took a few days since he was a veteran but I did it. I was about to tell Atsumu because I know he would want to deal with it himself but I wanted to give him the name of the person who ordered the hit on you. That person was someone who had hurt Atsumu.”

Osamu digs his chopsticks a bit hard into the salmon; he was making them into flakes. “Was it an unsatisfied customer from MSBY?”

Sakusa shakes his head. “No. It was from- It was from back when we were young.”

The salmon flakes were set aside and now the bubu arare are being crushed with a mortar and pestle. Osamu crushes them a bit more. “Are you plannin’ on tellin’ him?”

“Soon, after I deal with it.”

“Don’t ya think he might want to deal with it, too?”

Sakusa flexes his fingers, the leather creaking a bit. “I… I would let him if he really wants to but. But if there was ever a way for me to erase any reminder of what he went through without him remembering it I would.”

“What if he hates you?”

Sakusa swallows. “I- I’ll handle it. Even if he hates me for leaving, I’ll take it. If he wants me to leave, I will do it. I just want to do this for him because I know he would risk himself to do the same for me.”

Osamu sets the pestle down. He eyes Sakusa as he serves rice into a bowl. He places the shredded salmon and bubu arare on top of the rice with a pair of chopsticks. Adding the nori and a dash of sesame seeds, he grabs the saucepan and pours the broth until it covers the rice half-way. He adds some mitsuba and places some wasabi in a sauce dish. 

With great care, he sets them down in front of Sakusa. 

“Welcome home, Sakusa,” Osamu says gently. “It’s yer favorite ochazuke, just the way ya like it.”

Sakusa’s eyes widen in surprise. He quickly lowers his head and Osamu pretends not to notice the quiet sniffles as he cleans up. “Tissue’s in front of ya.”

Sakusa takes one without looking up. He lifts his head and takes a breath, the tissue crumpled in his hand. He places it on the table a bit away from the food and takes out a small bottle of hand sanitizer from his suit jacket. Squirting a bit to his palm, he thoroughly spreads it to his hands. After taking a disposable chopstick and ripping the protective paper, he brings his hand together palm-to-palm.

“Thank you for the food,” Sakusa mumbles as he digs into the ochazuke.

Osamu wipes down the counter while Sakusa scarfs down his food. He puts the rag away and washes his hands. He wipes them down on his apron and asks, “Ya want somethin’ to drink?”

Sakusa pauses and answers, “Just bottled water, please.”

Osamu hums as he gets it for him from the kitchen. He hands it to Sakusa and hesitates. “Ya know, you should tell him. He’s been waiting for ya, always has been.”

Sakusa finishes his food. He stays silent for a long time. “What if it’s too late? What if he has… what if he has someone else already?”

Osamu raises a brow. “Ya think that dumbass would choose someone else other than you? He waited for ya all this time you know. He knows you have a reason and he’s just waiting for you to tell him. Don’t be an idiot and jus’ tell him.”

Sakusa gives him a look. “It’s not that easy.”

“It literally is, yer jus’ makin’ it harder than it is.” Osamu looks up to the clock mounted on the wall. “I think ya need to get goin’. Don’t tell Atsumu ya met up with me.”

Sakusa nods. “Understood. Please don’t tell Atsumu about what I told you.”

“I got it. Get goin’ and think about what I said. He deserves to know, too.” 

Sakusa bids him goodbye as he exits through the back door. Osamu watches him go and thinks about him and Atsumu. He hopes Sakusa can work it out with his twin. His phone rings from his windbreaker and he takes it out to see Suna calling. 

He answers it with a smile. “Hey, babe. Yer never gonna guess what happened-”

“Miya Osamu did I not tell you to not ride your motorcycle before consulting me?!” Suna roars down the line.

Osamu freezes and curses Atsumu in his head. What a snitch.

* * *

**[7:30 AM, Main Lobby, MSBY Headquarters, Tokyo, Japan]**

“‘Tsum-Tsum!” Bokuto greets as he waves his arms wildly. “How are you today? Are you excited?! I’m excited I’m getting a new assignment soon!”

Atsumu wonders if this is how it would if the sun comes near him. “I’m okay, Bokkun. Jus’ preparin’ for a new assignment.”

The main lobby is a big entrance room connecting to the other open rooms and where the main elevators are situated. Couches and sofas are scattered here and there for guests. A cafe has been installed after agents come in grouchy as they report early. In the center of the lobby is a glass jackal mid-pounce, jaw wide open and teeth sharp. With the abundance of lighting and plant decoration, Atsumu thinks it resembles a hotel entrance more than a corporate one. They even have a concierge at the front.

“You look kind of gloomy, Atsumu,” Bokuto notes, “is something wrong?”

Bokuto Koutaro’s wide golden eyes are narrowed in worry. His broad shoulders are slumping down as he looks at Atsumu, lips pulled to a frown. Atsumu thinks his spiky white-grey and black hair is also pulling down. It’s actually amazing. He looks sharp in his grey-blue suit today and Atsumu thinks the seams around his shoulders are bulging.

“Nah, jus’ kinda nervous ya know?” Atsumu answers. “I mean, it’s been a while since I’ve seen Omi.”

Bokuto’s eyes widened. “Sakusa-san’s back? Oh, he’s your assigned partner for the new assignment, huh.” He pats Atsumu on the back a bit too strongly and almost pushes the man off the couch. “Stay strong, ‘Tsum-Tsum.”

Atsumu clears his throat and thumps a fist over his chest. “T-Thanks, Bokkun. Man, your strength is as strong as ever, huh?” He touches Bokuto’s biceps to which the other agent happily lets him. “Damn, yer biceps could be a force of mass destruction. How the hell-”

“Atsumu.”

Atsumu stands so quickly he almost trips. He straightens and looks up at Sakusa. “Om- I mean, hey Sakusa-san. I mean, hello. Hello, Sakusa-san.”

Bokuto stands up to place a comforting hand on his shoulder. “‘Tsumu, are you okay?”

Sakusa’s brow twitches as he stares at the hand. Atsumu feels like he just got caught cheating. 

“I’m good,” Atsumu chokes out. “Sakusa-san, ya ready to go?”

Sakusa is still staring at Bokuto’s hand on his shoulder so Atsumu takes the initiative to shrug it off. Sakusa raises his eyes and stops on his neck. Atsumu remembers the collar and wants to take it off. For some reason, he feels embarrassed.

“Yes, my car is ready outside.” Sakusa inclines his head at Bokuto. “Good morning, Bokuto-san. How have you been?”

Bokuto laughs. “Shouldn’t I be asking you that, Sakusa? How are _you_?”

“I’ve been well. If you’ll excuse us, we need to get going.” He looks at Atsumu. “Atsumu?”

“Yeah, let’s go.” He gives Bokuto a clap on the back. “See ya later, Bokkun.”

“Bye ‘Tsum-Tsum, bye Sakusa!” Bokuto calls after them as they walk away.

When they finally get inside Sakusa’s car, Atsumu turns to Sakusa. “So, what are we gonna do first?”

Sakusa takes his leather gloves off and places them on the dashboard. He takes his mask off and lets it dangle on one ear. “I was thinking we should check the site where the child was taken first. Maybe we can find something that the Crow agents did not see.”

“The CCTV was turned off and we already knew there was an insider,” Atsumu says, “the intel also looked if there were any backup of the CCTV footage that day. They found nothin’. Should we look for any witnesses?”

Sakusa grimaces so Atsumu quickly says, “I’ll do the talking if there is any. What about the van, should we find it?”

“If they were really professionals they would have already had the van butchered,” Sakusa says as he backs the car out of the parking. “But it’s worth a shot to see if we can find any DNA to identify the kidnappers. I’ll look into car junkyards near the park.”

Atsumu hums. “I’m still thinkin’ about the motive, though. Ya think they’re waiting for the family to announce the kidnapping publicly?”

“It’s a possibility,” Sakusa replies, “the Hinata family are very concerned about their public image so maybe it’s an attack from an enemy company. I’ll ask the intel about that.”

“Do ya think we should look into orphanages?” Atsumu asks. “What if it was like- what if it was a case like ours?”

Sakusa’s grip on the wheel tightens. “You think it’s a work of the facility?”

“There’s a possibility and ya know it. I mean, why kidnap a child if yer not askin’ for a ransom or to feed into the trafficking ring?” Atsumu cracks his fingers with a thumb. “Does the Hinata kid have any history of bein’ gifted? Like us?”

“Not that I know of,” Sakusa finally says after a moment. “You know the report better than I do. Hinata’s profile did not give any other details besides what we saw. The Hinata family might be hiding secrets that they want us to ignore while finishing this assignment. We should be careful about that.”

Atsumu sighs. “So, site first before junkyard?”

Sakusa nods. “Site first before junkyard.”

* * *

MSBY Agent Department

Agent Profiles

Name: Bokuto Koutarou

Rank: Eagle

DOB: 20/09/1994

Combat Performance: 4.7/5

Firearm Performance: 4.6/5

Occupation: Field Agent

Place of Operation: Japan

Partner: N/A

Notes: Firearm handling is unstable at times. Firearm evaluations are to be done weekly. Failure to comply will result in the confiscation of firearms.

* * *

**[7:48 AM, Onigiri Miya, Tokyo, Japan]**

The bell above the door chimes as Osamu prepares another onigiri. The breakfast rush had started at 7 AM and his staff had been rushing from the kitchen to the tables to serve. Osamu himself is close to sweating from continuously making onigiri and other dishes. After Suna had screamed at him down the line, he’s eager to go home and make it up to his boyfriend.

“Welcome to Onigiri Miya, please take a seat!” Osamu calls out without looking up, too busy forming another onigiri. 

“I’m just here for pick-up, Myaa-sam.”

Osamu looks up and grins at one of his favorite customers. “Ah, it’s ya. Yer order’s already in a takeaway bag. Jus’ come to the pick-up station. I swear yer just eating onigiri day in and day out, Akaashi-san.”

Akaashi Keiji gives him a placid smile as he takes a takeaway bag from a harried worker. “Isn’t it good for your business, Myaa-sam?”

“I know but spice it up a bit will ya? Order somethin’ else one of these days,” Osamu replies, pausing to squint at him. “And aren’t ya a desk worker? Yer diet’s gonna be bad, Akaashi-san.”

“Thank you for the concern but my diet is well, Myaa-sam,” Akaashi says, amused. “I’ll be taking my leave now. Thank you for the food.”

Osamu waves after him and resumes his work. Someone steps behind him and he hears furious whispering. He turns to see two of his workers, Sakae Ichigo and Motoki Teradomari, elbowing each other. They have been at each other's throats for the past two weeks since they have been hired and Osamu's not sure if it's their way of pining or they genuinely cannot stand each other. 

“You two.” They stand straight in attention and Osamu sighs. “Stop yer bickerin’ and get to work, we’re in rush hour.”

“Uh, it’s just that,” Sakae says hesitantly, “Motoki seems to have given the customer just now the wrong order.”

“Huh? That’s not so bad. Whose order was it supposed to be for?”

“There’s just a drawing of an owl, sir.”

Osamu blinks and tries not to curse. Then realizes it’s his own damn shop and he might as well take his privileges. “Ah fuck, that was Bokuto’s. Shit, I hope Akaashi-san likes gyukatsu.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! I'm sorry for the late update~ (｡╯︵╰｡)
> 
> If anyone is wondering for the recipe of the ochazuke, you can find it
> 
> [here](https://www.justonecookbook.com/ochazuke/)
> 
> I found out through TWT that Osamu had prepared ochazuke for Sakusa because the dish can be prepared without direct contact of hands unlike onigiri. I think it can be Osamu's way of accepting and welcoming Sakusa to his turf, Onigiri Miya. Isn't that a fun interpretation?
> 
> I hope you liked this chapter and that it wasn't too boring! Please let me know what you think and thank you for reading~~!! (*˘︶˘*).｡.:*♡


	5. Visitors

**[8:40 AM, Hinata Conglomerate Headquarters Building, Tokyo, Japan]**

“Good morning, Akaashi-san.”

“Good morning, Akaashi-san. Your files are already on your desk as requested.”

“Akaashi-san! Good morning.”

Akaashi nods to the other employees as he scans his ID on the electronic turnstile. The stationed guards greet him before turning back to face the entrance. Akaashi passes by the entrance information desk and shares a greeting with the workers. He walks to the elevator briskly and rides all the way to the 47th floor of the 50 floors of the building. 

He says hello to his secretary and enters his office, immediately slumping on his chair and putting the Onigiri Miya plastic bag on the desk. He sighs before straightening up, grabbing the disposable chopsticks. His intercom beeps and he gives it a tired look.

With no choice, he presses on it. “Yes, Shirofuku-san?”

“Hello, Akaashi-san,” Shirofuku greets. “I just want to inform you that the meeting with the Date Tech Chief of Operations Futakuchi Kenji is moved from 1 PM to 3 PM, sir.”

Akaashi furrows his brows as he takes out his breakfast. Oddly, it’s in a lunch box. Maybe Myaa-sam changed the packaging? “What about my meeting with the Sales Division?”

“It has been canceled since the team manager assumed responsibility for the performance,” Shirofuku says. “The CoO Futakuchi-san also requests the meeting to be held today. He says it’s urgent.”

“Understood, thank you.” The line clicks off and Akaashi finally breaks his chopsticks apart. He then opens the lunch box to find deep-fried beef cutlets staring back at him. Akaashi blinks and replaces the lid before opening it back again to make sure he’s seeing it properly.

He rummages through the bag and finds a sticky note. A doodle of an owl and ‘To Bokuto only!!” is written. A smaller container is revealed to contain a sauce with a sticky note proclaiming “Bokuto’s special sauce recipe!!!” Akaashi studies them for a moment before turning back to the lunch box. 

Should he return this? It’s not his order but he’s really hungry. He dips his chopstick to the red sauce and licks it. A sweet and spicy sauce with a hint of citrus. This Bokuto person must have a unique taste. Akaashi decides to enjoy it instead and apologize to Myaa-sam for eating it. It actually tastes… _good_.

As he eats, he turns his computer on. The files he requested are creating a formidable pile on his left which he decides to ignore for the time being. They do need to be finished by today but Akaashi’s sure one or two of the large files will be sent to the trash before a harried employee rushes to his office to give him the complete files. For now, his main focus is finding out the MSBY as Fumi-san requested of him. 

So far, he has no information. A quick Google search yielded a result to a volleyball center? He sent feelers around for anyone with a relation to the NPA but found confusion. It became apparent that the NPA are keeping it away from the public eye and it seems the Hinata family has a curious connection to MSBY. The Hinata family is influential, an old money family. It’s a surprise yet at the same time understandable. That leaves the fact that the last string he can follow is the underworld networks.

Akaashi has no contacts in the underworld. If he has, it’s limited to the internet and not to the real workers. There’s also the case of payment for the informant. The head Hinata may not be active in the company but her claws in the board of directors are still strong. Their eyes and ears may as well be hers. If Akaashi’s going to do this, he needs a discreet cover-up for the transaction.

Fumi’s request to arrange the meetings had been hard. The members of the board are loyal to the head Hinata, out of fear or respect Akaashi’s not sure. To this day he’s still not sure how he managed to accomplish his task. Their agreement seems like a trap. If that seemed like a hurdle, this might seem like a herculean task. 

Akaashi plays with the ring on his thumb. The inscription of the three stars on the gold ring feels familiar after all those years. He thinks of golden eyes through a thick haze of smoke and touches his lips. He’s itching for a cigarette.

* * *

**[9:30 AM, Aoyama Cemetery, Tokyo, Japan]**

Hinata Fumi stands in front of a nameless tombstone. She carefully sits in front of it, carefully tucking her skirt beneath her. From her purse, she takes out a handful of pictures. Most of them include Hinata Shouyou, whether it be candid or posed. Next, she takes out a compact lighter.

Carefully, she sets the pictures on the marble floor, burning them with the lighter. She watches it burn for a few seconds before she picks up the 7 sunflowers next to her. She gently puts them right next to the tombstone.

“I made a big mistake, I lost Shouyou,” Fumi confesses. “But Akaashi’s working on finding him, you know how loyal he is. The old hag is really eager to get rid of me so I have my own problems too. Ahh, I kind of want to quit. I kind of resent you for putting me in this place.” She chuckles bitterly. “But who am I to complain? You did warn me what would happen and I still took it. You knew I would take your offer right? It sounded like a really solid deal when you presented it to me.”

Fumi forms a fist and slams it twice on the marble floor. “You’re cunning. I don’t know where Hinata is so I hope he’s as cunning as you. I hope he gets your genes and not that asshole’s. I don’t know if these pictures are really reaching you but I hope you can look over him. There’s only so much I can do.”

Standing up, she reaches over to trace the large sun etched on the tombstone. She lets her fingers linger before stepping back. “I’m fulfilling my promise to you. I’ll carry out your will until you can have the last laugh up in there. Or down there, if we’re going by what you said.”

She turns and starts to walk away. “I’ll definitely check off everything on your list. Just you watch and sip your favorite wine.”

* * *

**[11:34 AM Residential Park, Aoyama, Japan]**

The residential park was clear of any other evidence. Sakusa and Atsumu talked with the security company in charge of the community and found the CCTVs were cut at 4:50 PM. They also asked for the list of people who worked on the day of Hinata Shouyou’s abduction. They asked the intel team to run background checks on them and found no red flags on their files. 

Atsumu looks around the playground from a table. According to the Crows, an old woman was found dead on this table. Ochako Miyami, the nanny of Hinata Shouyou since he was 5 years old. The only other thing found on the scene was a bottle of milk, presumably from the nearby vending machine. There are no fingerprints found and the shoe prints were smoothed out like the sole had no ridges. It must have been slippery to walk in since there’s no friction but Atsumu could guess why they did it. Hinata Shouyou lives in a heavily guarded community and the Hinata family is influential. Getting caught by them would be suicide.

There must have been an insider. But a community as rich as this would have hundreds of workers so how should they narrow it down?

“Atsumu.”

Atsumu turns to find Sakusa walking towards him. His mask and gloves are back on. In his hand is his phone which he presents to Atsumu.

“I found someone,” Sakusa says. “A gardener happens to be near the scene when Hinata Shouyou was abducted.”

Atsumu takes the phone to see a profile of a man. “How did ya find him?”

“Apparently, he wasn’t supposed to work that day so he wasn’t officially written down for the list of active workers but came as a favor to his sick coworker.” Sakusa inclines his head. “He asks for compensation, though.”

“They always do,” Atsumu remarks. “But understandable. I’d probably do the same. The compensation is okay, the Hinatas will cover the expenses. Where is he?”

“He asks to meet at a public location, a busy one.” Sakusa holds out a hand so Atsumu can return the phone. “It’s almost lunch so let’s meet him in the guise of a friendly meeting.”

Atsumu looks down at themselves. They’re dressed like businessmen in the business district. If they met someone dressed in casual clothes while they look like this they would be attracting attention. 

“What if we change clothes first? I’m sure we’ll scare the guy dressed like this.” Atsumu gestures vaguely to where Sakusa’s car is parked. “Do you have any casual clothes back there?”

“My car is not a closet, Atsumu.”

“I’m jus’ asking, Om- Sakusa-san. Anyway, let’s probably stop by the department store first so we can buy new clothes.”

Sakusa’s eyebrows pull together and displeasure is rolling from him in waves. “Do we have to really change?”

“Okay then. Ya wanna go home to change instead?”

“What if we just meet him in a private booth?” Sakusa grumbles. “That could solve the problem.”

Atsumu gives him an unimpressed look. “Sakusa-san.”

Sakusa tries to stare him down but Atsumu looks back just as fiercely. Atsumu might be the biggest brat but sometimes Sakusa takes the crown from him. Moments like these remind Atsumu of the times Sakusa would refuse to cooperate unless Atsumu gives in. 3 years of him gone, Atsumu had grown a bigger resolve to be _brattier_.

“If we don’t change, we can get there faster,” Sakusa insists. “It’s more efficient and time-saving.”

Atsumu crosses his arms. “Uh huh. And if we show up like this do ya think people won’t notice? We’re supposed to be under the radar, ya know? We’re Black Jackals, Sakusa-san.”

“This is Tokyo,” Sakusa rebuts, “I could walk in there in an 80s fashion outfit and no one would bat an eye.”

“Why, Sakusa-san, do ya wanna test that theory?” Atsumu bats his eyelashes. “I know a great rental place for those types of clothes ya know.”

“You’re a brat.”

“I dunno about you, Sakusa-san but right now you’re more of a brat than _I am_.”

“Um, excuse me,” someone says behind them. “Are you the people who asked for me?”

They both turned to look at a man with a cap low on his face standing behind them. Sakusa looks down on his phone and sees the exact face in front of him. Atsumu stares at the man in confusion.

“I- I thought you wanted to meet in a public space?” Atsumu asks, confused

The man flaps an arm around them. “This _is_ a public space. Well, for me anyway.”

“Oh.”

The three of them stare at each other in silence before the man clears his throat. “Should we sit down to talk…?”

“Of course, of course.” Atsumu gestures for the man to sit in front of them. Sakusa takes his time to take out a pack of wipes from his inner jacket pocket to wipe down the seat. Only then does he sit down and face the man.

“Just to clarify, your name is Moniwa Kaname, yes?” Sakusa asks. At the man’s nod, he says, “We’ll discuss the payment later and we would like to hear whatever you saw that day. If it was not clear, whatever we talked about at this table never happened. Is that understood?”

“Yes, I understand.” Moniwa takes a deep breath to prepare himself. “That day, my coworker got sick so I did his shift for him. I logged in with his name and did my work. There was this child playing in the swings with an old woman.”

Sakusa takes out his phone and swipes through his files. He slides his phone across the table open to a picture of Hinata Shouyou. “Is this the child you saw?”

Moniwa leans in to take a close look and nods. “Yeah. I couldn’t see his face but that bright orange hair is really hard to forget. I already knew who it was just by the hair.”

“Is Hinata Shouyou a friendly kid?” Atsumu asks.

“Well, we don’t know for sure. The reason why I know him is because every worker in this area knows the Hinata family. Their family is so private and the young Hinata is rare to see outside of the house.” Moniwa scratches his chin. “I’m not one for rumors but they said it was because the young Hinata is prized.”

“Prized?”

“The Hinata family takes great measures to hide the kid. If you go past their house, you can see that the gates are twice as high than any other house. The servants say he’s not allowed to attend school, even a private one. A tutor comes into the house to teach him.”

Sakusa tries to bring them back to the main topic. “So, what else can you remember from that day?” 

“Oh, yeah. The old woman was buying something from the vending machine when someone approached her and led her to a table. I think she was a woman, her shoes had heels. The kid comes running and they talk for a bit before he runs to a patrolling guard. Last I saw him, the man and the kid walked off to somewhere I couldn’t see. That was all.”

“What about the woman?” Atsumu asks. “What was she wearing? What was her height and was there anything that stood out to you about her?”

Moniwa thinks this over. “She was dressed in a baggy hoodie and track pants. A cap was on her head. She was tall, really tall. Almost like the height of a model, you know? Her hair was weird too. Like white?”

“White?”

“I don’t know, I’m not sure. When she was running away, a bit of her hair fell out under the cap. It looked like she had long hair. That’s all I can remember.”

“Do you know anything else about the Hinata family?” Sakusa asks.

“Well, there’s one but. It’s a really unbelievable one,” Moniwa leans in to whisper. “They say the reason why the Hinata child is so hidden is because he’s a genius.”

Sakusa and Atsumu exchange a look. Atsumu leans in. “Who said this? Do you know who started this rumor?”

“Well, you see, a maid got fired last year from that house because she was so nosy,” Moniwa says, “and as revenge, she spilled some secrets about the family. She said that the current wife of the man in the house is the second one and that she’s just temporary. She also said that the young Hinata is a genius with physical stuff. We never found out what kind of a genius he is, though. The maid was never seen again and we all kept our mouths shut.”

Sakusa stands up as Atsumu stares at Moniwa. Sakusa takes out his phone. He sends a message to the finance department. “An amount is sent to your account. Thank you for your cooperation.” He taps Atsumu’s shoulder. “Let’s go.”

They bow to Moniwa and make their way to Sakusa's car. As soon as they get in, Sakusa takes out a bottle of sanitizer from the side storage and puts some on his hands. Atsumu holds out his hand so he can also have some. Sakusa quietly puts it back and leans back on his seat.

“What do you think?” Sakusa asks after a moment of silence. Atsumu is subdued, eyes blank as he stares ahead.

“You know what I think,” Atsumu murmurs. “It’s like we thought, it’s a work of the facility.” Atsumu sighs deeply and slumps to his seat. “I thought they were already destroyed? Have they been operating all these years?”

Sakusa remains silent as he starts the car. The silence is filled with dread and pushed back memories of their shared childhood. Long-forgotten memories rise back to the surface as they think of the facility. Atsumu puts a hand on his choker, almost as if he was checking it’s still there.

“Do we report it to Meian-san?” Atsumu asks quietly. 

Sakusa maintains his silence until they exit the gated community. “We have until this weekend to think it over. Personally, I want to finish this assignment without letting Meian-san know. Knowing him, he must have had a vague idea about what happened to us.”

Atsumu toes his shoes off and brings his legs up, hugging it to his chest. “Omi, do ya think… do ya think it’s really them?”

“Yes, I think it’s really them.” Sakusa feels like the air turned cold. 

Atsumu squeezes his eyes shut. “Omi, ya think they’re gonna get me back? Do you think they’re looking for me after all these years? Doc did say I was a prize and-” Atsumu bits his lips so he can focus on the pain and prevent himself from crying. “What if they take me away from ‘Samu again?”

“Atsumu.”

“Omi, I can still remember it. I still remember it when they pinned me down to the table and Doc took a k-knife and I couldn’t move-”

“Atsumu, look at me.”

“The light was really blinding and I was so scared but I knew if I resisted they’ll take another kid and I couldn’t stomach that-”

A hand on his nape jolts Atsumu. He opens his eyes to see Sakusa stretched across the console, face close to his. Sakusa’s mask is gone and his bare hand is cool on Atsumu’s skin. Atsumu takes deep breaths and stares into Sakusa’s dark eyes. He counts Sakusa’s two moles over and over again until he reaches 50. He looks out the window and notices the car is parked next to the road.

“Atsumu, get to the back seat,” Sakusa orders as he leans back. Atsumu blinks at him, a bit disoriented. Without thinking much about it, he unbuckles his seatbelt and climbs to the back. Sakusa follows behind him and holds out his arms.

Atsumu stares at them for a moment before slowly leaning in, hiding his head to Sakusa’s chest. He lays on his stomach and wraps his arms around Sakusa’s middle. Sakusa stretches his legs to accommodate him and lays them on top of Atsumu’s. He runs a hand through Atsumu’s dyed blond hair while placing his hand over Atsumu’s nape. He makes sure Atsumu can feel the weight without choking his windpipe. 

Sakusa listens to Atsumu taking deep breaths and continues running his hands through his hair. He scratches against his scalp lightly while he does so. They remain in that position until Sakusa breaks the silence.

“You’re stronger now. You’re not a child anymore and you have me with you.” He taps the choker. “You also have protection, they can’t touch you. I told you didn’t I? I’ll protect you.”

Atsumu sobs to his shirt. “Omi. Omiiiii. Omi-kun. ‘M scared, I’m scared of seeing Doc again.”

“The doctor won’t come near you,” Sakusa promises, “we’ll fight him together. Do you remember our promise? We won’t be alone anymore. We’ll fight him with everyone. We’re stronger than he is now.”

Atsumu raises his head and Sakusa gently wipes his tears away with a thumb. “How come yer not scared, Omi?”

“I’m scared, “Sakusa admits. “Of course I’m scared but I have you by my side and we’re not powerless children anymore. If he shows up right now I’m sure I’ll be shaking to my core. But I’m sure as long as I don’t face him alone I can do it. Isn’t it the same for you?”

Atsumu keeps quiet and Sakusa continues massaging his head. Quietly, he admits, “I’m scared he’ll take ‘Samu instead of me this time.”

Atsumu closes his eyes and tries to swallow down the bile on his throat. “Y’know, when we were in the bad room, they priced us at a high value ‘cause we were a set. We have the same face but different eyes. The buyers liked that, that we were the same but at the same time not. So we were always together. But then the police came bustin’ down the door and because we were orphans we were sent to an orphanage. But we got separated and I was kinda grateful we were because I didn’t want them to have ‘Samu too. I heard the orphanage he went to was a real one and that Kita-san’s family took him in.”

“Do you not resent him for that? That he got saved while you didn’t?”

“Of course not,” Atsumu says, leaning into Sakusa’s touch. “I think I would hate myself more if it was ‘Samu that got caught and not me. I mean, I can take the pain but ‘Samu’s a weakling. Don’t tell him that though. He’ll get mad.”

“Did you tell Osamu about the facility?”

“No.”

“Why?”

“‘Cause,” Atsumu worries his lips, “‘cause he’d get stupidly guilty and then I’d have to deal with his crying ass. I heard him talkin’ to Kita-san one day that he wished it was him that was taken instead. ‘Cause I was crying almost every day. Which was stupid because he cried more than I do.”

It wasn’t easy to stop himself from throttling Osamu. The facility was ruthless; no child should ever be in there. Until Atsumu was deemed ‘important’ he had been kept in a small room with just a torn pillow to sleep with. He thought he knew what hunger was when he and Osamu lost everything until he ended up in that place. Osamu calls him a pig whenever he eats and he couldn’t tell him it was because he was used to stuffing everything to his mouth before the guards take him away again. If he hadn’t met Sakusa, Osamu might have never seen him again. 

He never wanted Osamu to experience any of that. He would fight tooth and nail to make sure he was chosen instead.

Sakusa sighs. “You should probably tell him. I think he feels like you don’t trust him even after all these years.”

“Why would he think that?” Atsumu frowns. “That’s stupid. Of course I trust him.”

“You’d talk to me instead of him whenever you suffer from the past, remember?” Sakusa reminds him, gently. “He’s your brother and he wants to be there for you, too. Let him, Atsumu. Don’t bear the burden of the past alone.”

Atsumu pouts. “It’s not that easy, though.”

“I didn’t say it was. But you have to try.” Sakusa pats his head. “Are you okay now or do you want to go home?”

Their position seems to dawn on Atsumu so he hastily scrambles back, smacking himself at the door. Sakusa stares at him, concerned. He reaches out a hand as Atsumu struggles to locate the latch. When he does, he pulls on it and pushes outwards to open the door to traffic. Sakusa yells and drags him back inside, incredulous. 

“What are you doing?” Sakusa demands, hand tight on Atsumu’s arm. “Do you want to be flattened into a _pancake_?”

Atsumu opens his mouth to respond but shuts it when his stomach growls. They look down at his stomach for a long moment before Sakusa snorts. Atsumu’s tear-stained cheeks turn cherry red. 

“Do you, _pfft_ , do you want to get lunch?” Sakusa says tightly, trying to stop his laughter.

“That would be, uh. That would be nice, yeah.”

* * *

**[2:35 PM, RINGO, Ikekuburo, Tokyo, Japan]**

A young man in sweats sits on a red crate, balancing his plate on one knee. The cafe doesn’t have any tables or seats so the staff made do. The whole store is closed, much to the chagrin of its loyal patrons. The curious staff peeks at the man in sweats from the door to the backroom as he eats the famous apple pie. A tall man with strange hair looks down at him, sighing.

“Kenma, stop being spoiled.”

“You dragged me to Japan from Singapore, Kuro. This is the least you can do.”

Ah, that’s right. That man is Kozume Kenma. 

A Japanese genius of technology, he left Japan on highschool to pursue technological innovations in Singapore on a scholarship at the Nanyang Technological University. By his graduation, he has already established his own company Kodzuken. It specializes in entertainment technology and unknown to the public, military technology. Only a few companies know the latter as they have specially made products just for them.

The other man in a crisp dark red business suit is Kuroo Tetsurou, the head of Training and Recruitment of MSBY. On public records, he’s merely a consultant to an unknown division of TMPD. He’s currently trying to urge his best friend to stop stalling. And to stop teasing him about his hair resembling a rooster’s head.

“Kenma, we’re going to be late,” Kuroo says. “You’re having a meeting with Foster-san, you know?”

Kenma huffs as he stuffs another forkful of apple pie. “The only reason why I agreed to go back is because I missed Shouyou. You told me I can see Shouyou again.”

“We can pass by their house after the meeting to have dinner.” Kuroo checks his wristwatch and sighs. “Kenma.”

“Five minutes.”

“I’ve had the store shut down for an _hour_.”

“Not my problem,” Kenma says after a moment. “I want to see Shouyou first. Then maybe Akaashi on the main building.”

“I don’t know about Akaashi, he’s mostly busy these days,” Kuroo grimaces. “And I heard through the people in the station that he’s been trying to dig up information on MSBY.”

Kenma puts down his fork. “Akaashi is? He doesn’t know right?”

Kuroo shakes his head. “Only the head of the family knows about the MSBY. I’m also confused on why he wants to know about it let alone how he _knows_ it. Maybe the PR Department let something slip?”

“I doubt it.” Kenma puts down the plate and fork, both licked clean. “You know how strict Semi-san runs it. He could beat Pentagon with how unknown MSBY is. I want to see Shouyou.”

“Kenma, I already told you-”

“Kuroo.”

Kenma’s steely voice made Kuroo pause. His best friend’s gold eyes seem to sharpen like a cat’s, almost daring him to object. Gold eyes to gold eyes, always a sight to behold. “I want to see Shouyou.”

Kuroo releases a long-suffering sigh but grins wryly. “I get it, I get it. Let me call Akaashi first.”

“No, don’t.” Kenma stands up, stretching his arms. “I have a feeling he will be hiding something. Akaashi never gets involved in anything he knows he shouldn’t unless it’s for Shouyou.”

“Ah.” Kuroo picks up the plate and hands it to a flustered worker. He winks before turning to Kenma. “Are you talking about the first wife’s will?”

“Yeah,” Kenma replies lowly, putting on a cap to hide his bleached hair. Kuroo keeps nagging him to retouch it soon. “Hinata’s mom, Hinata Yoko.”

* * *

MSBY Training and Recruitment Department

Agent Profile

Name: Kuroo Tetsurou  
Rank: Eagle  
DOB: 17/11/1994  
Combat Performance: 4.5/5  
Firearm Performance: 4.2/5  
Occupation: Head of Training and Recruitment  
Place of Operation: Japan  
Partner: N/A

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> |ω･)ﾉ,Hello~ 
> 
> Another update though it is a day late lol. I apologize if there's no action I'm really sorry it will be coming I promise (*_ _)人 
> 
> Please let me know what you think about the chapter on the comments!! I appreciate every comment I receive whether it be criticism or love!
> 
> Also, starting next week I will only be updating on Fridays (￣ω￣*) My classes are finally starting that's why (￣ω￣*) I hope you understand  
> ｃ(・・ )
> 
> Update Schedule: F every week
> 
> Also, Moniwa's name means garden~


	6. Warning

**[?, ?, ?, ?]**

Kageyama stands in front of the steel door, hands clasped behind his back. Hinata stands next to him, fidgeting. Kageyama’s warning last night is making him anxious causing his stomach to feel like it went through a grinder. Kageyama ignores him for the first few seconds before he turns to him, scowling furiously.

“Can you stop that?!” Kageyama hisses at him.

“But it’s your fault, Kageyama!” Hinata whines. “If you haven’t scared me last night I wouldn’t be like this.”

Hinata had managed to sleep last night but as soon as he wakes up, he feels like vomiting. What kind of tests will they make him do? Hinata watched one movie about someone being taken into a room like this and them making them do mean things. Kageyama told him it's all okay as long as he's average but what if the test people get mad? Will they do awful things to him?

“I didn’t scare you I-” Kageyama pinches the bridge of his nose before taking a deep breath. “Look, it was just to help you be careful, okay? Just do as I said and you’ll be good.”

Hinata was about to reply when the door suddenly swung open. He squeaks and hides behind Kageyama’s taller frame, clutching at Kageyama’s shirt. Kageyama scowls at his hand but grabs his arm. Kageyama drags him to his side and lets him go, walking out of the room. Hinata scampers behind him, staying close to his side.

A long corridor of steel doors stretches down almost endlessly. The walls are as white as the walls in their room and have glowing arrows pointing down to the end of the corridor. Blinking rapidly, Hinata averts his eyes from the blinding fluorescent lights. The floor is also stark white and Hinata wonders if everything in this place is blank. It reminds him of a hospital.

“When they come to get you for the examination, remember,” Kageyama whispers. “Do your best to be average, don’t stand out.”

As they walk down the corridor, the other doors open as they pass. Quietly, children walk out and line up behind Hinata. Hinata looks back to see that they are all dressed in the same white shirt and shorts like him, with the ankle lock. Hinata wonders if they have something on their neck too. Their heads are bowed so Hinata quickly turns and does the same. Kageyama did say he should not stand out. 

When they reached the end, they turned a sharp right to be greeted by a woman in a white coat holding a tablet. She reminds Hinata of the doctors that go to their house. The woman taps a few times on her tablet before looking up.

“Okay, everyone. Hold out your right hand under the machine on the wall and let me scan it,” she instructs, pointing to a circular hole in the wall. When she spoke, a ring of green glowed around the circle. 

Kageyama steps forward and inserts his arm up to his elbow. There’s a quick sound of metal clashing with metal before Kageyama slowly removes his arm. In his wrist is a metal bracelet, a light indicator glowing green. He places it under the woman’s tablet and after a _beep!_ walks away to a set of sliding doors. He steps through without looking back.

Hinata stares after him. Was he not scared?

“Next,” the woman orders.

Hinata gulps before inserting his arm to the hole. He tries not to shiver at the metal his skin brushes past. He stops at his elbow and waits. Then, metal starts to shrink close to his arm and Hinata bites back a scream. A circular lock keeps his elbow in place. He feels cold metal travel down his arm before stopping at his wrist. Something clamps at his wrist before relaxing, leaving something on it. When the metals retreat, Hinata quickly takes out his hand. At the woman’s impatient cough, he lets her scan it before stepping through the electronic sliding doors.

Once past, he tries to catch his breath and inspects his wrist. Like Kageyama, a metal bracelet is on his arm. Hinata tries to move it but it will not budge. He frowns at it and tries to see if there’s any kind of way he can loosen it.

“Dumbass, there’s no use in taking it off,” Kageyama says next to him. Hinata looks up to see the other boy scowling. “The machine scans your arm and finds out the exact shape so it won’t be loose.”

“Kageyama, what do we do now?” Hinata asks and steps close to him when a child exits the sliding doors. “Do we wait?”

“We need to get breakfast,” Kageyama answers. He points to an empty glass elevator. “We’re riding that down to the main hall.”

After a few more children, the elevator opens. They all file in and wait for the doors to close. When it does, a metal latch lowers to securely lock the elevator. Only then does it start its ascent. When it goes past the floor, the elevator succumbs to darkness before light from the ceiling turns on. 

“Why is there a lock?” Hinata asks, voice soft. He eyes the heavy-looking lock. “We can’t escape either way.”

Kageyama grunts, leaning back on the glass. They had gone in first and stayed at the back. “I don’t know. But I heard that someone from before managed to escape this facility and that’s why they’ve tightened the security. Good for them and tough shit for us.”

When the latch lifts, the elevators open up to a spacious hall. The other children start to walk out and Hinata follows after them. To his surprise, Kageyama grabs his arm and leads him out. 

The hall has high ceilings and wide space. The floors here are tiles and the lights are brighter than the previous floor. Oddly, Hinata thinks that this light seems more natural. Rows upon rows of metal picnic tables are scattered around the room. On their right is a serving line for food with what appears to be robots doing the serving. Hinata blinks and looks to Kageyama for an explanation.

“Humans have a tendency to be swayed,” Kageyama explains. “So they put robots instead.” He jerks his chin to one man observing at the corner of the serving line. “And one human to make sure the robots are doing a good job.”

A scanner is at the start of the line. Kageyama grabs two trays and gives one to Hinata before scanning his bracelet. Hinata does the same and moves after Kageyama. A robot scoops out portions of food into Kageyama’s tray. It does the same to Hinata’s and Kageyama walks to one of the occupied tables. Hinata trails after him and looks at the other children at the table.

A boy with lazy eyes stared at him, head propped on a hand. The boy next to him with the spiky hair stops talking once he realizes his friend is not listening and follows his line of sight to find Hinata. Another boy with soft brown eyes raises a brow before nudging the sleeping boy next to him, who groggily wakes up and glares fiercely at him. Hinata gulps and hides behind Kageyama, peeking next to his shoulder.

“If it isn’t the King,” the boy with spiky hair says. “What brings you to our humble table?”

Kageyama grabs Hinata and seats him down before taking the seat next to him. “Stop it with that. I need you to take care of him while I go to my evaluations.”  
  


‘Lazy eyes’ gives Hinata a once over. “Mhm. Is he new?”

“He was in my room by the time I got back yesterday,” Kageyama answers. He stares at Hinata and pointedly looks at the chopsticks. Hinata slowly picks it up and starts eating before Kageyama picks his own and shoves rice to his mouth. “I don’t know why they put him in my room but I’m sure they want me to look over him.”

The boy with spiky hair looks at Hinata. “Hey, nice to meet you. My name’s Kindaichi Yuutarou.” He points to the boy next to him. “This is Kunimi Akira.” He points to soft brown eyes and then the glaring boy, “Yahaba Shigeru and that’s Kyoutani Kentarou. Don’t worry, Kyoutani doesn’t bite. You should be worried about Yahaba.”

Yahaba reaches across the table to smack him before turning to Kageyama. “Do you think he’s like you, Kageyama?”

“I think so,” Kageyama replies, glancing at Hinata. “He has the same thing on his neck like I do.”

Kyoutani raises a brow. “Then that means they already know he’s gifted. Are you trying to hide him?”

“No. I just want to make sure he doesn’t get the crown,” Kageyama says. “Oikawa-san had the crown last month and… and look what happened. This guy isn’t like us, he didn’t live in the streets. If he gets the crown,” Kageyama’s face darkens. “You know what will happen.”

The mood suddenly turns gloomy and Hinata looks uneasily between them. Yahaba’s hands on the table are clenched tight, mouth pulled to a tight frown.

“I still haven’t heard from Iwaizumi-san,” Kyoutani whispers, looking a bit spooked. “I heard from the others that he’s in the isolation room and they’re… they’re _disciplining_ him.”

“We still have a week,” Kunimi says. “A week before Oikawa-san’s predicted capture. They will probably keep a closer eye on us when he’s captured. By that time, he hopefully already got help. Iwaizumi-san will probably be kept in isolation for 3 days. When he returns we need to make sure he’s strong enough to run away with us.”

Kageyama scowls. “I told you. I told you it would fail but you didn’t listen. Now Oikawa-san’s running for his life and Iwaizumi-san’s being hurt.” Kageyama aggressively picks up a vegetable with his chopsticks. “We’re all stuck here whether we want to or not.”

“That may be true,” Kindaichi says, brows furrowed, “but we should do something about it instead of waiting like caged pigs-”

“You’re going to leave this place?” Hinata asks. 

Everyone looks at him and hurriedly shushes him. They all look around to make sure no one else heard. The other children seem to be focused on their food or are horsing around with the others. 

“Dumbass, do you want to get punished?” Kageyama hisses. “Don’t say shit like that aloud.”

“You have to keep your mouth shut about that, tangerine,” Kunimi warns, droopy eyes drooping further. “Unless you want all of us in the isolation room.”

Yahaba sighs. “Kageyama, did you tell him about this place?”

Kageyama avoids Yahaba’s strict gaze. “I didn’t have the time. They made me do shooting drills yesterday and I was tired.”

Yahaba gives out a loud long-suffering sigh. He gives Hinata a look. “Hinata, was it? Listen carefully. This place is a prison; we’re all child workers here for some godforsaken company and we’re either going to be chopped into pieces to be sold in the black market or some creep buys us to feed their shitty fantasy.”

“Shigeru-” Kyoutani tries to stop him.

“Your friend, Kageyama, is the King in this place. Not because he calls the shots but because he’s the most prized child in this entire facility. All of us have a price and his is the highest. It’s ‘cause he’s a genius and he has this safe cushion of being bought by almost decent people who want an incredible heir. He’s male, he’s good-looking, and he’s a genius. We’re not. We’re going to end up in bad places once we lose our ‘child’ status. Do you understand?”

Hinata slowly nods. Yahaba continues, “We all do the same thing; we wake up, we work, we eat, we go to our rooms to sleep and do this, again and again, every day. But Kageyama’s different ‘cause he needs to do stupid training. And you, tangerine, are going to do the same thing as him if Kageyama’s to be believed. And keep your mouth shut about this to the other kids. They don’t know.”

“Hey, if Kageyama’s right, what’s your skill?” Kindaichi asks. They all turn their heads to look at him, curious. 

Hinata flusters under the attention. It’s the first time he’s surrounded by children his age. “I- I don’t know.”

Kageyama raises a brow. “You don’t know? Didn’t your parents give you a test or something? I mean, you have to be _something_ for them to put that thing on your neck.”

“I mean,” Hinata scratches his head sheepishly. “I don’t really go out. I’m not allowed to. My teacher comes to our house and teaches me boring stuff. The only fun test I have is with Aone-san, he teaches me martial arts.”

Yahaba reels back. “Martial arts? You know how to fight? _You?_ ”

Kyoutani gives him a look. “Shigeru, you’re being rude.”

Suddenly, Hinata and Kageyama’s bracelets beep. A bell tone rings aloud in the hall and children start to get up with their trays to dispose in a square hole in the wall. All of them move to do the same, Kageyama leading Hinata again.

“Kageyama,” Yahaba calls while Kageyama drags Hinata in a different direction. “I’m still hoping you’ll say yes.”

Kageyama gives him no reply and keeps on walking. Hinata lets him and when they reach a set of glass doors, Hinata looks at him. “What was that about?”

Kageyama scowls. “They want me to join them.”

“Why don’t you?”

“Idiot, it’s too risky. And why would I want to escape I already told you how there’s nothing for me outside-”

“Do you really need a reason to want to be out of this place?” Hinata asks. 

Kageyama pauses and looks at him, suddenly feeling a chill at the intensity of Hinata’s eyes. 

“I mean, we don’t belong here so isn’t it only natural to want to get out of this place?”

“Then where would we go?”

“Wherever we want.” Hinata beams at him. “After all, when we get out, we’re free to choose, right?”

Kageyama’s eyes widen. He stares at Hinata and says, “Are you not afraid of anything or something?”

“Of course I am but,” Hinata gives a sheepish smile, “I wanna get out of this place more. I have… a grave to visit after all.”

* * *

**[3:10 PM, Hinata Conglomerate Headquarters Building, Tokyo, Japan]**

Date Tech is a subsidiary company of the Hinata Conglomerate, focusing on providing bodyguards and security personnel. Some employees are also working as personal trainers. Aone Takabune is one of the top trainers of Date Tech.

A man over 6 feet tall with an incredibly fierce resting face and a shock of white hair. With a record capable of going head to head against an international agent, Aone is a force to be reckoned with. His presence draws people’s attention to him, completely masking the true threat next to him.

Futakuchi Kenji lounges on the armchair, legs crossed and head tilted back. His tie is loose and his jacket is thrown over the back of the chair. Aone stands next to him, lips in a straight line and hands behind his back. Akaashi gives Futakuchi an unimpressed look before leaning back on his armchair. He splurged thousands of yen for this exact reason.

“Is there a reason why you wanted to meet me, Futakuchi-san?” Akaashi asks. “And would you like some tea?”

“I’m good, thanks,” Futakuchi answers, eyes amused. Akaashi thinks he’s always had that look in his eyes no matter the situation. “You know Akaashi-san, it just came to me that the head Hinata is locked up in her castle. Isn’t that funny?”

“I don’t think it’s a funny thought, Futakuchi-san.”

“I mean, she holds the power in the conglomerate, you know?” Futakuchi continues, flapping a hand. “All of this and more all in her palm and she hoards it all in her castle. Don’t you think she’s like a dragon? She reminds me of a dragon.”

Akaashi purses his lips and glances at Aone for a hint. The man stares back at him blankly. He sighs and turns back to Futakuchi. “Futakuchi-san, please get to your point.”  
  


“There’s a story that I found due to my curiosity,” Futakuchi says with much flourish. “An untold story about a girl of sunshine who comes to the castle of the dragon and threatens it with just its presence. She has the wit of a scholar, a cunning streak of a swindler, and a beauty that captured the most important hoard of the dragon: its child.”

Akaashi narrows his eyes.

陽. 子.

“The dragon doesn’t trust the girl and blinds his child with her riches to make him stay by her side.” Futakuchi flicks his wrist from his eyes. “But the girl has already gotten what she wanted and the dragon realized too late. So the dragon killed the girl in hopes that it will end everything when in reality it was only the beginning.” Futakuchi smirks. “The roots she planted in her castle have already grown.”

“I’m human, Akaashi-san. Of course, I’m going to root for the girl,” Futakuchi leans forward, hands folded together. “Aren’t you the same?”

Akaashi gives him an apprehensive look. “And where did you hear this story, Futakuchi-san?”

“Ah, just a word of the mouth,” Futakuchi shrugs. “I got interested and decided to find the knights of the story. I mean, a girl storms a castle of a dragon. Of course, she’s not reckless to do it alone; she has an order of knights. Isn’t that how the story goes?”

“Is that so?” Akaashi regards him. “Did it ever occur to you that maybe she was working alone? That maybe the knights are nonexistent?”

“I did consider it but then I met the knight himself,” Futakuchi winks, “and everything suddenly makes sense.”

Akaashi hums. “Is that so? And why would you root for the girl when the dragon is clearly the stronger one?”

“Because the way I see it,” Futakuchi licks his lips, “is that the girl is on her way to winning and I’m a businessman, I join the winner’s side. When the publication of the story is done, I’ll be there to back her up.”

“I see. You’re never alone, Futakuchi-san. Are there any others who would like to join you?” 

“All the underdogs are rooting for the girl, Akaashi-san. She has really-” Futakuchi lays a hand over his heart “-touched our hearts.”

Akaashi stares at him.

“And maybe the promise of getting some of the dragon’s hoard is a factor.”

Akaashi huffs out a laugh. “Is that the only reason why you wanted to see me today?”

“Well, there’s uh.” Futakuchi looks up at Aone and sighs. “Aone wants to know when Hinata’s lessons will be resumed.”

Akaashi blinks. “I didn’t know Aone-san is invested in each of his students like this.” The notice of cancelation has only been sent 2 days ago.

“Yeah, I don’t know either.” Futakuchi takes a deep breath. “Anyway, why are the lessons canceled anyway? Aone’s bored out of his mind just accompanying me through my meetings.”

“I’m afraid I can’t answer,” Akaashi answers politely.

“Huh. You’re as secretive as ever Akaashi-san. Maybe you should go on a date so you can open up to someone.”

“Emotional vulnerability? Oh no,” Akaashi says dryly. “Please, not emotional vulnerability. Ahhhh.”

“Akaashi-san, you may not look at it but you’re a total asshole aren’t you?” Futakuchi asks with a wry grin as he stands up and shrugs his jacket on. 

“What, me?” Akaashi gives him a perfect angelic smile. “Not a chance, Futakuchi-san. I wasn’t aware there was a mirror in my place when you looked at me.”

“Asshole,” Futakuchi says, eyes sparkling. “See ya, Akaashi-san.”

Akaashi waves after them and when the door closes, he collapses back on his chair. There’s a loose mouth he needs to seal close after this. If Futakuchi had the guts to show up to his office asking for answers then the other subsidiaries will act up. Well, Futakuchi had always been confident but the others may start to have ideas. Hoard of gold… was that what Hinata Yoko promised them? When did she even meet them? Akaashi needs to get to the bottom of this.

There’s also the MSBY and Hinata. The lack of information on MSBY is concerning and with the Head Hinata handling the child’s rescue, is it really a rescue? Hinata Kanemi’s relationship with Hinata Shouyou has always been rocky. She allowed the young Hinata to be her heir but Akaashi knows if she can she’ll choose someone else. No one wants to look at the product of their failure after all. She’s also been making moves in cutting off Hinata Fumi from the family. Has she caught on that they’re working together?

Akaashi fiddles with his fingers. He needs a smoke.

The door slams open to reveal a raging Kozume Kenma and a sheepish Kuroo Tetsurou trailing behind the shorter man. Akaashi takes one look at Kenma’s narrowed eyes and braces himself for the onslaught.

Kenma comes up to his desk and slams both hands on it. Kuroo quickly closes the doors. Akaashi wonders if he should have his office soundproofed in the future.

“Where’s Shouyou?” Kenma demands. 

Akaashi sits properly and folds his hands on his lap. “I am indisposed to tell you.”

Kenma narrows his eyes. “Akaashi, that’s not the answer I’m looking for. Where’s Shouyou?”

“Kenma, let Akaashi breath,” Kuroo says, placing a hand on his shoulder. “He’s got a lot on his plate.”

“Shouyou,” Kenma insists. He shrugs Kuroo’s hand off. “He’s not in the house. His gadgets haven’t been turned on in days. There’s no sighting of him outside of the house.”

“Is that a surprise?” Akaashi asks. “The young master is hardly allowed out of the house. You know this Kozume-san.”

“Cut the professional talk, Akaashi,” Kenma snaps. “Where’s Hinata?”

Akaashi returns his glare and looks to the side. “There is a situation with the young master. It is being handled.”

“You or that old hag?” Kenma asks. Kuroo gasps. “What? We all feel the same way towards that witch.”

“The head Hinata assured us that it will be handled by capable people,” Akaashi finally answers.

Kenma curses and flops into the chair. “How bad is it? And don’t try to fool me with your professional persona, Akaashi. It’s not going to work on me.”

Kuroo takes a seat and looks at him expectantly. “You know how Kenma gets about Hinata, Akaashi. Just tell him unless you know he’s in grave danger or something.”

At Akaashi’s silence, Kenma slowly looks at him. “Akaashi? He’s not in something dangerous, right?”

“I’m afraid,” Akaashi says, “that I cannot answer that with utmost confidence.”

* * *

**[?, ?, ?, ?, ?]**

“He’s so boring,” a doctor says, looking at the monitor displaying vitals before looking through the observation window. “His stats are so low, why did we even bother getting him?.”

The observation window is wide enough to show the entirety of the test room. It works one way, letting the people inside the test control room observe into the test room. Hinata Shouyou is running on the treadmill at 5 miles per hour. ECG electrodes stick to his chest and EEG electrodes are on his scalp. The lines hang from the ceiling and to his body, surrounding him in wires. Nearby, a nurse in scrubs is watching the speed and marking down his progress.

The doctor behind the monitor disappointedly hums as he scrolls clicks through Hinata’s earlier tests today.

Hinata Shouyou was an anticipated subject due to the nature of his buyer’s request. The child comes from a prestigious family, a company that specializes in security at that. There are also talks of how the child is heavily guarded and basically locked up in the house. The buyer was really adamant on having him and prepping him. To risk everything just to take a child, the child in question should be amazing. However, his tests today say otherwise.

The physical test was first. His vitals and overall health was perfect, as expected from a child born to a rich family. His coordination and motor skills were normal at best. His stamina is average, so is his speed. He utterly failed mathematical and science tests, somehow passed the language test (his kanji is a mess), and his reading comprehension is average.

“Now, now Dr. Hashikami,” the businessman next to him says, “I’m sure he has potential. He was a custom order after all.”

“But look at him,” Dr. Hashikami whines, pointing to Hinata, “he sucks!”

“Well, let’s give him a reason to do well, hm?” The businessman reaches forward and presses on the intercom. “Bring her in.”

In the test room, Hinata almost falls off the treadmill when the door slams open. A child gets dragged inside and thrown to the ground by a guard. Hinata immediately gets off the treadmill to try to help him up but a nurse stops him. He struggles against her before turning to look at the horrified child.

The guard pulls out a gun and points it at the child. Hinata screams.

“Hinata Shouyou was it?” A voice speaks from the intercom. “You seem to be failing your tests when we know you can do better. We can’t have that, can we? Now, let’s have a deal. If you fail your test again, something will go _poof_. Do you get what I’m saying?”

“W-What?” Hinata breathes out, looking around frantically. “You can’t be serious! That’s just-”

BANG!

The child screams and Hinata looks her over, trying to find any blood. The gun is smoking and the guard seems to have shot the floor near her feet.

“I’m afraid I’m quite serious, Hinata,” the man says. “Now, you look really mad at me but why? Don’t bad kids get punished? I know you’re cheating on the tests. Now, why would you do that?”

Hinata holds up a fist in protest. “What are you talking about? It’s not my fault the tests were hard!”

The businessman pauses and looks over to the doctor. “Do we have any files on his grades?”  
  


Dr. Hashikami shrugs. “We don’t have any. That kid’s information is locked tighter than a fortress. But I have to say though, I don’t think he’s faking with the struggle in the academic tests. When he received the test paper, he read it once and slammed his head down.”

The businessman gave him a doubting look. “The heir of a prestigious family is struggling in academics?”

“I don’t know, you tell me. That’s why I asked you why they’re so adamant on him.”

The businessman sighs and presses the intercom again. “Let’s stop the tests for now. Bring him to his room, I’ll deal with him later.” He watches Hinata as the guards take him away. He turns to the doctor. “Is there any news about Oikawa Tooru?”

Dr. Hashikami sighs. “No. He completely managed to lose our guards. I don’t know what he did to the chip in his neck but we can’t use GPS tracking to find him. What if he tattles to the police?”

“Don’t worry about that we have that covered, “ the businessman answers. “The police are taken care of we just need to take care of finding Oikawa Tooru.”

“Well, even if he did leave I’m sure he’ll come back,” Dr. Hashikami says, carefree. “After all, his precious Iwa-chan is still here.”

* * *

**[4:35 PM, YKHM Ltd., Meguro City, Tokyo, Japan]**

It has been hours. Oikawa Tooru has been in the trunk of a pick-up truck since he ran down the mountain path. A tarpaulin is draped over his body along with crates of goods. He’s not exactly sure but it seems to be car parts. He’s heard traffic over the course of the ride and then loud sounds of machines. Oikawa had resisted even taking a peek over the tarpaulin in fear of being caught. 

Escaping the facility had not been an easy feat. Oikawa had risked his life by cutting the chip out of his neck. He knew there was no way the facility would not keep track of them. What kind of businessman would let his goods go easily especially if they are expensive? Iwaizumi had freaked out a bit when the blood started gushing stronger as he poured alcohol over the wound. It was a frenzy with jumping over the lunch line and fighting off the robots while he scrambles into the dumbwaiter. It was a tight fit but he and Iwaizumi managed to squeeze inside. 

It was a gamble to escape through the dumbwaiter. None of the children know any other parts of the facility. When the dumbwaiter opened, Oikawa and Iwaizumi found themselves in a kitchen. After a mad dash past the confused chefs, they escape through a metal door and into the laundry room. A trash chute was in there and Oikawa knew that was it. That was their way out. But things don’t work out all the time especially for children who are in the domain of an adult.

Iwaizumi Hajime got caught to buy him time to get down the chute. Oikawa had tried to pull him with him but Iwaizumi pushed him away. Oikawa had no time to cry because the guard dogs were already close. He doesn’t remember much from running away but by the time he falls into a ditch and straight out of a canal, he passes out. When he comes to, he runs again and doesn’t stop until he sees a passing truck. With nothing to lose, he chases after it and jumps on the trunk.

The truck stops and a car door opens. He hears heavy footsteps walking away. Oikawa strains his ears to try to hear anything else. When he hears nothing, he slowly lowers the tarpaulin and looks around.

A pair of shocked eyes meet his own, face contorted in disbelief.

Oikawa grabs the tarpaulin and throws it at the man, quickly jumping off the truck. He hears the man curse and fumble, yelling something like “Omiomi!”

Oikawa looks back to see the man throwing the tarpaulin aside and chasing after him. Oikawa looks to the front too late and fails to see the spare tire on the ground. The man grabs him and he tries punching him only to have both his arms held off with one hand. Oikawa curses the fact that he’s a gangly teenager and bites the man’s arm instead. When he does so, he feels his head spin and suddenly the world vanishes into nothing.

Miya Atsumu on the other hand is freaking out as he gapes at the passed out teenager in his arms. He hears thundering footsteps and looks up to see Sakusa hovering over him. Sakusa takes one look and raises both brows, eyes accusing.

“Omi-Omi,” Atsumu says weakly, face paling, “ _help_.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello!!! Here's another update ( ´ ▽ ` ) I'm sorry for the delayed update our AC died and it was so hot I just went to sleep so I wouldn't feel bothered by the heat (￣ヘ￣)
> 
> If anybody gets the story of the sunshine girl before the kanji you're smart!! Well done!! (/ =ω=)/
> 
> I think that's all for the notes and uh I think I'll be changing the update schedule to Saturday 'cause that's when I update these days anyway lol 
> 
> Oh and follow me on TWT at @dai_naning!!! Let's be MOOTS!!! σ(≧ε≦σ) ♡ (No srsly let's be friends I don't have anyone to scream SakuAtsu with (; _ ;)
> 
> New Update Schedule: Saturday!!!


	7. The Revelation

**[5:01 PM, YKHM Ltd., Meguro City, Tokyo, Japan]**

The YKHM Ltd. junkyard is 15 minutes away from the gated community Hinata Shouyou lived. It was one of the three possible junkyards the kidnappers could have dropped their initial car before transferring to their getaway car. Sakusa had seen it happen before and with how high-profile the Hinata family is, he's certain the kidnappers transferred cars as they went. Sakusa hopes they can find a clue in here.

The junkyard destroys cars at the end of every week. Sakusa had inspected the area while Atsumu talked to the workers and the manager. The CCTV was thankfully operating on the day of the kidnapping so might find some clue. The security of the place is lax so the kidnappers could have easily hidden a car here amongst the others and escape with it. 

Atsumu had sent him a list of suspected cars. He must have cross-referenced them with expiration dates. Most of the getaway cars are expired or have fake license plates. As Sakusa looks through a car with gloves and mask firmly on his face, he thinks about their shared lunch together earlier.

Atsumu kept on avoiding his eyes, looking down on his food for the entirety of the meal. It gave Sakusa the luxury of studying how he changed in three years. His hair is a pleasant shade of yellow now and his shoulders have gotten broader. He still eats messily and swallows too quickly so he always chokes on his food. Sakusa focused on his neck, the leather choker he had given Atsumu back when they were children. Seeing it again had made Sakusa hopeful; that there’s still a hope that Atsumu can take him back. Even just as friends, Sakusa would take it.

Sakusa closes the door as he finds nothing and goes to the next car. Maybe Atsumu is done with acquiring the CCTV footage? Should he head to Atsumu now?

“Omiomi!”

Sakusa whips his head to the direction of Atsumu’s voice and runs. He can hear Atsumu let out a pained curse and Sakusa’s heart picks up pace. Did someone attack him? Sakusa hastily stops in front of Atsumu on the ground, a child in his arms. Confused, he looks at Atsumu for an explanation.

“Omi-Omi,” Atsumu says weakly, face paling, “ _help_.”

Sakusa carefully crouches down, pressing a gloved finger on the child’s neck to check his pulse. He feels something wet and he quickly removes his hand.

“He’s alive but it’s weak,” Sakusa says, “Atsumu, carry him to the car. We need to bring him to a hospital quickly.”

Atsumu hooks a hand under the child’s legs and another on his back before standing up. He quickly follows after Sakusa to his car. Sakusa opens the trunk to grab a plastic cover and lays it over the backseat. The plastic crinkles as Atsumu lays the unconscious child down. He fastens the seatbelts to help prevent his body from rolling off the seat. Sakusa is already starting the car and sanitizing his hands, gloves on the dashboard. Atsumu quickly slides into the passenger’s seat and holds out his hands for some sanitizer.

“His neck is bleeding but I think it’s scabbing,” Sakusa says, driving out of the junkyard. “Are there any hospitals affiliated to MSBY in our area?”

Atsumu takes out his phone and searches it up. Then, “Yeah, there’s one 1.5 miles from us.” He taps a few buttons. “Okay, just follow the car’s GPS. I already connected it.”

Sakusa steps on the gas and Atsumu hastily puts on his seatbelt. On the corner of his eye, he can see Sakusa glaring at the road.

“Where do you think he came from?” Sakusa asks. “He doesn’t look malnourished but he’s injured like that. And a weird place too, in the neck.”

Atsumu brings up a hand to his choker. “Yeah. Do you think he’s…?”

Sakusa’s face is dark, eyes stormy as he swerves sharply to the left. “A part of me hopes he isn’t but I know he’s most likely from the facility. There’s no ankle lock on him, though. Do you think he managed to disable it?”

“I don’t think so,” Atsumu cracks his fingers with his thumb, “only a facility personnel can disable that. And only during check-ups so it doesn’t interfere with the readings. Maybe he destroyed it?”

Sakusa runs a red light and Atsumu looks back to see a driver stick out a rude gesture out of their window. “Omi, what do we do about the junkyard?”

“We’ll go back after we drop him off the hospital,” Sakusa says, impatiently overtaking a car. The hospital is in sight. “I’ll send a Crow to watch over the child. If he really escaped I’m sure the facility’s sending men to find him. He could be a clue to find the facility. We can’t afford to lose him.”

* * *

**[5:45 PM, Meguro Hospital, Meguro City, Tokyo, Japan]**

Suna Rintarou is a resident of Tokyo Metropolitan Hiroo Hospital. Currently, he’s doing his residency in Meguro Hospital due to the increase of patients. His specialty on the file is cardiothoracic surgery and is one of the youngest graduates of Osaka University on a government scholarship. His record is amazing with his top grades and his research work in interventional cardiology made headlines on the medical circuit. People call him gifted, blessed, a genius. 

As he walks down the hallway, Suna hears whispering around him. It’s mostly the giggling nurses and the old doctors who eye him critically. Suna pays them no mind. They’re not important to him.

When he passes the nurses’ station, a nurse calls out to him and hands him a clipboard. “Suna-san, there’s a change of assignment for you.”

Suna frowns as he takes it. “But I already have a scheduled patient.”

“The chief physician was the one who insisted,” the nurse whispers before returning to her computer. Suna shrugs and flips through the clipboard and his eyes catch on to the symbol on the top of the paper.

The head of a canine with the letters BJ under. Ah, so it’s a special patient. It has been a long time since he had seen one of those reckless agents. Suna grins as he thinks of how he met a certain agent five years ago.

He rides the elevator down to the 3rd floor and heads to an operating theatre. He changes to his scrubs after washing his hands and elbows thoroughly at the washing station. A nurse waits nearby and Suna makes his way to the operating table.

“Okay, what kind of agent do we-” He stops short upon seeing the young body on the table. “Shit, is that a kid?”

Nametsu Mai, the nurse, sighs. “Yes, the patient today is a child. Well, he’s a teenager. His name is Oikawa Tooru. There seems to be an avulsion on his neck. He seems to have passed out from the bleeding and I’ve already cleaned it. Your orders, Suna-san.”

Suna Rintarou works for the MSBY as a contracted doctor. He accepted with the condition of having full reign on the course of action for any operation. All his operations are kept secret from records except for the MSBY database. If he wants to use a chainsaw in order to cut a leg, the hospital and government can’t say anything. As long as the operation ends on a happy note, Suna’s operations are accepted.

Oikawa Tooru is lying on the operating table on his stomach, a dozen tubes attached to his body in preparation for the operation. A wide wound on the center of his neck seems to have scabbed. With gloved hands, Suna touches around the wound. 

“There’s something on his neck,” Suna says, “call other nurses. We’ll be here for a long time.”

* * *

A man sits outside the patient’s room. He’s dressed in a dark suit so Suna goes over to him, hands in the pockets of his doctor’s coat.

“Are you the agent who brought the kid?” Suna asks. The man stands up from the plastic chair. When Suna looks at his eye, he says, “Let me guess, you’re a Crow?”

The man blinks and straightens. “Ah, yes. I’m the Crow designated to guard the child.”

“Call the agent who assigned you here,” Suna says, “I’ll give him the report.”

The man nods and excuses himself to make a call. Suna watches him leave and takes out a lollipop from his pants pocket. Osamu had been pestering him about quitting his smoking habits. When the Crow comes back, he instructs him to lead the agent to his office. He has to file the report for the MSBY database.

The surgery was… it was peculiar. Suna has no idea how Oikawa managed to stay alive with the blood loss he had and the device on his neck. It was wrapped on his spinal cord like a parasite, connecting to his nerves. If Suna adhered to medical laws, the surgery would have been called off with how risky it had been. Wires as thin as a thread with sharp ends impaled his nerves and spine. One wrong pluck of Suna’s forceps and Oikawa would have been declared brain dead.

A few minutes into typing the report, the door opens to reveal Miya Atsumu and Sakusa Kiyoomi. Suna blinks at them while Atsumu’s brows raise high to his forehead. They stare at each other for a few moments before Sakusa nudges Atsumu forward to close the door.

The Black Jackal agents take a seat while Suna attempts to look busy. Suna’s sweating in his coat. Why is Miya Atsumu here? Shit, is he injured? He has to send a text to Osamu then. Wait no, it’s currently rush hour in Onigiri Miya and Osamu will probably ride his Kawasaki Concours again. He should probably ask-

“Suna-san, you didn’t tell us you’re a doctor,” Sakusa says, ignoring the two sets of wide eyes at him, “and a contracted one for MSBY no less.”

“Ah,” Suna says, a bit nervous, “uh. That’s actually how I met Osamu. And yes, I’m contracted to MSBY.”

“‘Samu knows?!” Atsumu asks, incredulous. “What? And how come I didn’t know! _I’m_ the Black Jackal agent! And since when were ya contracted?”   
  


“The contracted workers for private businesses are kept secret Atsumu,” Suna says, wearily. “And of course Osamu knows, he’s my boyfriend. I’ve been contracted five years ago.”

“That’s when you met Osamu,” Atsumu says, shocked. “Wow, how come I never knew?”

Suna shrugs. “I didn’t even know you were an MSBY agent. You too, Sakusa-san. Since when were you agents?”

“Five years ago,” Sakusa answers. “We joined together. I knew Osamu was an agent but I never knew you were affiliated to MSBY. I thought you were a civilian.”

Suna raises a brow at Atsumu. “You didn’t do a background check on me?”

“Of course not,” Atsumu says, offended. “I trust ‘Samu to do that to you. If he had no problems then I figured ya should’ve been okay.”

“I should’ve known,” Suna muses, “you always wore the standard suit of Black Jackal agents. I just thought you were a lawyer or something. Osamu must have known all this time.” He laughs. “The prick.”

“Is there any news on the child?” Sakusa asks, gloved hands neatly folded over his legs. 

Suna leans back on his chair, shoulders high and back low. “His name is Oikawa Tooru. He’s an orphan who’s supposed to be in an orphanage right now. There’s a wound in his neck and a weird-” Suna scrunches his face as he makes vague gestures “-thing there.” He reaches forward and taps the keyboard before flipping the screen so it faces the agents. “Look, see the lines? Those are thin wires that were running in his body.”

On a metal table is a small contraption the size of a coin with thin wires sticking out of the sides. It looks like an unknown type of sea urchin. A ruler is placed next to it to show the measurement. Atsumu shivers when he sees it.

“That thing’s wire spread to almost cover the back of his neck,” Suna says, “it’s so thin and has needles at the end of the wires. It was connected to the spinal cord and even to some nerves. Some were even connected to the brain stem.” Suna opens a drawer and throws a Ziplock bag containing the device. “I’ve never seen anything like it but if I have to guess, it’s a punishment device. Hey Atsumu, you okay?”

Atsumu’s face is pale as he stares at the bag. His lips are bloodless and his eyes are dull. Sakusa puts a hand over the back of his neck. “Atsumu, breath.” 

Suna watches as Atsumu grips Sakusa’s coat, eyes still on the device. His voice cracks as he says Sakusa’s name. 

Sakusa glances at Suna. “Suna-san, may we have the office for a moment?”

Suna nods, dumbfounded as he gets up and walks to the door. Before the door closes, he sees Sakusa pick Atsumu up to seat him on his lap. Suna stares at the wall blankly before reaching for his phone. Then he thinks of how Osamu does not know much about his twin’s past. He hesitantly lowers his hand. It’s not his right to tell Osamu.

* * *

Suna is allowed to enter his office again a few minutes later. He refrains from asking what happened. Atsumu’s eyes are lighter now and Sakusa’s arm has red marks. The Miya twins did have strong grips.

“He’s unconscious for now but he’ll probably wake up in a day or two,” Suna says, professional doctor mode on. “I’ll let you know as soon as he wakes up. His orphanage status doesn’t match with his current one. I suggest you look into that.”

Atsumu nods and turns to Sakusa. “Omi-kun, can you buy us some coffee?”

Sakusa looks at him closely before standing up. “The usual?” At Atsumu’s nod he glances at Suna. “What kind do you want?”

Suna shakes his head. “None for me, thank you. The vending machine is down the hallway.”

When the door closes, Atsumu immediately turns to Suna. “Did ya tell ‘Samu about this?”

“No. I know it’s not my right to tell him.”

Atsumu releases a relieved sigh, body relaxing. “Thanks. Appreciate it, Suna.”

“That choker,” Suna starts, watching Atsumu stiffen, “is that why you wear the choker?”

Atsumu brings up a hand to touch it. “Yeah. ‘Samu still doesn’t know about it.”

“Do you plan to tell him?”

“Of course I do! But…,” Atsumu scratches his head. “Ya know how he gets about it. He’ll feel stupidly guilty about it.”

Suna does know about it. Osamu still has a part of him that blames himself for Atsumu’s past. Suna does not know the full extent of their history, only Osamu’s side. He knows about the twins’ rough childhood of an absent mother and an alcoholic father. He knows about how they were sent to different orphanages after a rescue operation on a child trafficking ring. Osamu was adopted by the Kita family and Atsumu disappeared. The orphanage where he was supposed to be turned out to be nonexistent. Miya Atsumu disappeared into thin air.

“If he’s gonna feel guilty anyway why not tell him about it already?” Suna asks flatly.

Atsumu gives him a look. “I can see now why yer together.”

“Thank you. Well? Why not tell him?”

“How am I supposed to tell him?” Atsumu asks, tired. “I can’t just bring it up, y’know.”

“No, you totally can,” Suna says, “you’re just stalling on telling him. You can barge into our apartment and ask me to go away for a couple of hours or the night and I would do it so you can tell him.”

“I… maybe I’ll tell him after this case?” Atsumu tries. “This case is just, really, uh, personal to me.”

“I could tell,” Suna says, dryly. 

Atsumu slams his head on the table. “God, why are you such an asshole?”

Suna chuckles. “Do you think I would be together with Osamu if I wasn’t? We’re both assholes so we cancel each other out. But seriously, Atsumu. You should tell him soon. I’m planning to propose to him.”

Atsumu chokes on his saliva, quickly sitting up to stare wide-eyed at Suna. “Holy shit? You’re proposing?”

“I am,” Suna says, serious. “And I will not marry him until he has peace with you.”

Atsumu scowls. “You’re a demon. Is this your way of pressuring me?”

“Why not?” Suna smirks. “I’ll do anything to have Osamu’s conscience eased. I’m an asshole so what do I have to lose? Osamu already knows the real me anyway and he still loves me.”

Atsumu shakes his head. “Man, you’re devoted.”

“I don’t know,” Suna says, leaning back on his chair. His eyes are mischievous and he reminds Atsumu of a hunting fox. “I’m not the only one who will do everything for their boyfriend. Isn’t that right, Sakusa-san?”

Atsumu turns around to see Sakusa standing at the door, a disposable cup of steaming coffee in hand. Sakusa’s face mask covers his scowl as he takes a seat again. He hands Atsumu his coffee.

“Anyway, how’d you become contracted to the MSBY anyway?” Atsumu asks. “Like, I had no idea at all.”

“I was a North Korean defect and a yakuza member gave me a chance to run away to Japan,” Suna says nonchalantly, ignoring Atsumu spluttering on his coffee, “so I changed my name to Suna Rintarou, packed my bags, and went here.”

Sakusa stares at him. “I guess that explains why you’re fluent in Korean.”

Suna shoots him finger guns. “Bingo. I don’t look like it huh?”  
  


“No, you don’t,” Atsumu wheezes. “What the fuck. Does ‘Samu know?”

“Of course he does. I’m planning to marry the guy, I can’t enter a relationship with secrets. He knows everything about me.” He meets Sakusa’s eye. “ _Everything_.”

“So, I worked for the yakuza for a few years while I attended school,” Suna continues, closing his eyes. “Nothing big just delivering packages and stuff. Back in North Korea, I was trained to be a doctor. Nothing specific but almost every practice was drilled to my brain. When the _saiko komon’s_ kid was shot, I operated on him. When I saved his life they set me free with 10 million yen to my name and told me to walk another path in life. I got to school, then med school, and a man with rooster hair came to my apartment one day and told me about a proposition.”

“Kuroo-san recruited you himself?” Atsumu exclaims. 

“Yeah. He said he knew about my past,” Suna says, laughing. “Told me how they’ll overlook it and help me with my education. It was really sketchy and I felt like I was going to get indebted for a million yen. But he showed me proof, took me to the MSBY headquarters, and I finally signed a contract. While I was doing my internship I got assigned to Osamu. The rest is history.”

“When Osamu found out he said nothing and just hugged me,” Suna says, tone wistful. “He said he didn’t care about any of my past and that he loved me for who I am. Even when I told him the awful things I did back in Korea. I decided I was gonna marry him right there and then. Whatever happens, I’d do anything to protect this man. Even if he becomes reckless and comes to the hospital beat up, I’d just patch him up and send him off with a kiss.”

“That’s fuckin’ sappy,” Atsumu says through a sniffle.

“Congratulations, Suna-san,” Sakusa says amicably.

“Thanks, Sakusa. Anyway, my _point_ is,” Suna says, “is that Osamu would accept you even if your history is fucked up. So, just tell him so I can finally get on one knee and propose to him.”

“You’re fuckin’ manipulative,” Atsumu narrows his eyes.

Suna does not deny it. “Shouldn’t you get going? Don’t you have a case to solve?”

Atsumu sighs as he and Sakusa stand. Sakusa grabs the ziplock bag of the device. “Yeah, yeah. We’re goin’ now. See ya, Suna.”

“Just talk to him already,” Suna calls after him only to receive a middle finger from Atsumu. He laughs and leans back on his chair. “Ah, man. I hope that idiot talks it out with Osamu soon. Hiding the ring is getting difficult.”

* * *

**[6:03 PM, Hinata Conglomerate Headquarters Building, Tokyo, Japan]**

Akaashi steeples his hands. “The MSBY is a secret organization in the NPA?”

“Yeah. Kuroo works for them,” Kenma says then points to himself, “and I supply them tech stuff. Only the head of the family is told about them. They’re like watchdogs or something.”

“Don’t call my agents like that, Kenma,” Kuroo says. “But yeah that’s the gist of it. They’re only contracted by the White Lilies families.”

“Whose orders do they follow?” Akaashi asks.

“The contractor’s,” Kuroo answers. “Whatever it is as long as it’s not unreasonable the Black Jackals will answer the command.”

“Did Hinata Yoko know about it?” Akaashi asks.

“I don’t think so,” Kenma says after a moment. “If she knew I’m sure she would have secured a hold on that command before she did anything. The Black Jackals are a powerful tool to have by her side. I’m sure that her accident was a work of theirs too.”

Akaashi thinks this over, mind running a mile a second as it conjures different scenarios. “She knew the head Hinata would end her but she didn’t know who would do it. Then, was it a planned suicide…?”  
  


“Most likely,” Kenma agrees. “When I accessed Shouyou’s file, all of Hinata-san’s assets were transferred to him. It was all effective immediately. Even if the head Hinata left Shouyou in the dust, he would have been fine. She anticipated it.”

“Kuroo, can you find out what the command for Hinata was?” Akaashi asks. “If it was really to save Hinata or to ditch him?”  
  


Kuroo shakes his head. “I can’t do that. It's a complete breach of a contract. The only way we’ll find out is if we ask the agents assigned to the case. I don’t even have access to that file. Only Meian-san, the captain, knows about the cases since he assigns them.”

Kenma perks up. “I have a meeting with him later. Should I bring it up?”

“You might be a great asset Kenma but MSBY values anonymity above everything,” Kuroo says, voice grave. “If it means preserving that anonymity, they’ll drop you. If there ever is any hint of a breach of contract, Meian-san immediately severs ties.”

Another brick wall. Akaashi sighs. Hinata’s whereabouts are still unknown and despite his new information about MSBY, he has no idea how to solve the problem. His lips itch for a cigarette.

“What are you planning to do now?” Kenma asks. 

“I don’t know but I’ll think about something,” Akaashi says, defeated. “God, I want to smoke.”

“Why don’t you?” Kuroo asks.

“Because he gets a boner thinking about his crush 8 years ago,” Kenma says, smirk smug. “Something about his star in the cloak of smoke or something.”

Akaashi picks up a pen and chucks it at Kenma who avoids it with a laugh. “Stop being a dick. Don’t you have a meeting to go to?”

Kenma stands up, laughter reduced to chuckles. “Wait until we leave before you start smoking, Akaashi.”

“I wonder why everyone’s cautious of Kuroo-san when you’re the true pain in the ass!” Akaashi yells after him. 

* * *

**[9:32 PM, 4 Chome Nishiomiya, Kita Ward, Saitama, Japan]**

An apartment complex in Kita Ward is usually home to single working young adults. One unit is spacious for one; it has one room for the bedroom and an open layout for the kitchen, living room, and genkan. The bathroom is the size of a small closet. It is a normal, affordable 1LDK. But in one unit, a young woman and a child live together.

A car parks outside the apartment complex. A woman looks at a window on the 3rd floor through her tinted car window. She can see some silhouettes on the balcony window of a woman and a child. They seem to be having fun. 

The passenger seat opens and a high school student slides in. He’s young, around 15 or so. His uniform is still on.

“Did you give it?” She asks without taking her eyes off the window.

“I did,” the student says. 

She grabs her purse and takes out a brown paper bag. The woman hands it to the student and looks back to the window. She can hear the student murmuring as he counts the payment. 

“Same as always, thanks,” he says. “I’m guessing you want updates?”

At the woman’s nod, he says, “They went to the aquarium because the child got great scores on her tests. Her mom bought her a dress, it’s pretty. It has frills and is a light pink. She started wearing her hair in pigtails after watching Sailor Moon. She wants to adopt a dog but the apartment has a no pets allowed clause in the contract.”

The woman has to make a call later then. “Anything else?”

“She’s making great friends. I see her walk home with two girls,” the student says. “That’s the only thing I noticed this week.”

“That’s all then. Get out.”

“Pleasure doing business with you, ma’am.”

The car door opens again and closes. She watches the balcony for a few more seconds before sighing. She starts her car and drives away. It’s only a few more waiting before she can claim everything again.

If she does everything according to her plan, she will be reaping the harvest of success.

* * *

**[4:20 AM, ?, Olyutorsky District, Kamchatka Krai, Russia]**

“So, you’re telling me a single person did this to the entire lab?” A short man with blond hair asks. He whistles. “Damn, that’s amazing.”

The laboratory that used to be a farm for synthetic drugs that focuses on tranquilizing effects was completely destroyed. The computers’ CPUs were smashed and all the synthetic drugs were burned in a pile on the side. The bodies of the workers were nowhere to be found and according to the work report, there are no witnesses available to talk to.

“Right, Yaku-san?” The tall man with silver hair says, enthusiastic. “I saw the salvaged footage and the way the man moved was so cool!”

Yaku crouches down to inspect a dried pool of blood. “Hm. This thing has been here for a long time and nobody noticed anything? That man must be a hacker too then to fool the security system.”

“They said the alarms never rang so they never bothered to check.” The tall man skips over to a fallen knife. “Oh, that looks pretty.”

“Oi, Lev don’t go touching things,” Yaku scolds as he stands up to go over to him. “That shit’s dangerous, you don’t know what’s in there.”

“Okay, Yaku-san,” Lev says, happily. “What should we do now?”

“Find clues I guess,” Yaku sighs. “Man, I wish I accepted that job in Japan than this. At least that one sounds fun.”

“Hm, I don’t know about that,” Lev says as he puts on nitrile gloves. “Nee-san hasn’t been responding to my messages. I guess she’s busy.”

“Her case is kidnapping a rich heir right?” Yaku asks as he puts on a pair of disposable gloves. “What contractor was it again? A laboratory or something?”  
  


“Ngh, more like a yakuza?” Lev thinks out loud. “I forgot the name though. Something to do with animals? I dunno, I can’t read Japanese.”

“Animals huh,” Yaku muses. “Y’know I had a friend who reminded me so much of a rooster. He was my classmate back in high school. Every day he’d show up to class with that rooster hair of his and still get asked out a lot.” He shakes his head. “It confused the fuck out of me.”

“Maybe he was tall, Yaku-san, that’s why!” Lev suggests.

“Lev, get down so I can kick you!”  
  


“Yaku-san, why?!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello~!! Another late update AHHAHAHAHAHA
> 
> Please prepare for the following chapters, they're about to either be confusing or about to be really sad I'm sorry (ｏ・_・)ノ”(ノ_<、)
> 
> Also, Suna's back story is based on the K-Drama Doctor Stranger!! Please give it a go it's really good~ (´,,•ω•,,)♡
> 
> Honestly, is there a use in putting the update schedule? I don't follow it anyway (￣︿￣)
> 
> Online school is hard, everyone let us try our best as we do school and cry over this fic!! ヽ(￣ω￣(´ ▽ ` )ゝ
> 
> Also, shout SakuAtsu at me on TWT!! I have no one to shout SakuAtsu with :') My @'s @dai_naning let's be SakuAtsu friends I don't bite pls!!


	8. Jellyfish

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I updated the warnings!! Please tell me if there is more I should add :D

**[?, ?, ?, ?]**

The lights are out this time. It’s not too dark that he can’t see anything. Kageyama feels the wall next to him. Synthetic leaves. The timer has not started yet so it must be a new route. He has 10 seconds to take everything in before the test begins. 

When the alarm sounds, Kageyama breaks into a sprint as he ducks the beams shooting out of the walls. He hates the synthetic leaves maze, there are always more traps to look out for that appear from the walls. His bare feet are almost silent on the dirt. He can see the vague outlines and the top of the hedges. He turns on a sharp left and almost stumbles on something on the ground. He picks it up, quickly feeling the shape. A BB gun.

He can hear a light buzzing behind him as he turns another corner. A camera drone. They must have the potential buyers in the observation room. Kageyama grits his teeth as he runs faster. If he does too well his shipment will be sooner but if he does bad, the isolation room will be his room for tonight.

_It’s always about balance. Stay in the attack line but never stray far._

Kageyama dodges more beams and halts as something fast zips in front of him. _A bullet? No, it was long_ , Kageyama thinks as he runs again. _Was it an arrow?_ He raises his gun as a target pops above the hedge. It goes down as he hits the center.

More and more targets appear as he runs. A sneaky one near the floor, one in front of him, two on his left. He missed one and something shot to his leg. He grimaces as he keeps moving forward. The buyers today must be important if they are testing him harshly today. His leg throbs and he does his best to ignore it. No use crying over it when the test is still not done. 

A sudden swing of a thick beam prompts him to dive to the ground, breathing heavily as he glances back at the heavy sound of it going back to the wall. He immediately stands and continues running when something shoots near his leg.

Kageyama shoots targets and ducks under beams. The ground becomes wet and slippery, making him curse under his breath. The exit is almost near because he can see a large door. In the middle of it is a slot. His confusion is answered when something drops in front of him. He clumsily grabs it, losing the BB gun in the process. He wraps his hands around it. A rubber knife.

Kageyama knows if he stops to insert the knife, a machine will shoot at him. They want him to hit the slot while running.

When Kageyama was younger, back when he was still at the run-down house he called home, he used to make bets with the thugs in his street. There was no food in his stomach and the thugs (who were just rich teenagers who joined a ‘gang’) had thick wallets. They give him money when he beats them at the darts on the bar. 

Kageyama told himself it was the same. His eyes lock on to the slot and with a flick of his wrist, the knife goes flying and lands dead center. The slot lights up in green and it opens to let him out of the maze.

Kageyama pants as he leans against the wall. Guards surround him and give him a towel, leading him out of the test room. Kageyama lets them lead him, glancing at the tinted windows of the observation room.

In the observation room, the doctors rush around as they record Kageyama’s results. A wide screen TV is lowered from the ceiling in front of the window. Next to the window is a computer station full of complicated numbers and letters. Two men in business suits are seated in front of the TV.

“His performance is well, as you can see,” the man with the golden ring says, gesturing to a playback of Kageyama running through the maze. “Almost perfect, actually. He’s one of our best this year.”

“I must say his performance was excellent, Ousado-san,” his guest agrees, watching the playback. “What did you say his specialty was? Precision?”

“Yes, precision.” Ousado nods to a doctor who changes the video of the TV. A recording of Kageyama doing shooting drills plays. “I’m not an expert on guns but according to my scientists, his scores could compete with a seasoned shooter.”

“That’s impressive. And at such a young age?”

“Yes, yes. He will be a marvelous purchase, Omizu-san.”

Omizu-san hums, considering. “I’m guessing he has a waiting list of buyers. What is the current highest price on him?”

“Ah, it is currently at 100 million yen. You must understand, he _is_ one of a kind.”

“The price isn’t a matter if our _kumicho_ likes him,” Omizu-san says airily, dismissive. “You could say this could be a stepping stone to an alliance between our groups, wouldn’t you say Ousado-san? Speaking of which, I heard the company backing this business is not involved?”

“Oh, you know. Embezzlement goes a long way.”

“Which company is it again?”

“Oh, the Shiratorizawa Pharmaceuticals. I’m sure they won’t notice if we take _a bit_ from their funds.” Ousada laughs as he stands up. “Well, that’s it for show and tell today. I’m hoping you come back with good news, Omizu-san.”

Omizu stands up and shakes his offered hand. “Ready the receipt, Ousada-san. I’m sure the purchase will be soon.”

* * *

**[10:03 PM, Evidence Room, MSBY Headquarters, Tokyo, Japan**

Meian Shugo walks down the hallway, greeting the employees as he goes. Kozume Kenma walks next to him, hood pulled up to cover his badly dyed hair. Kuroo Tetsurou converses with Meian cheerfully, telling him about the promising recruits from the academy. Kenma stares at their shadows and frowns at it. Their shadows look like a valley.

“So, then Meian-san,” Kuroo says as Meian scans his ID on the lock outside of a door, “our lovely Kenma here is curious why you insisted he crawl out of his cave.”

Kenma gives his childhood friend a dirty look. “ _Kuro_.”

“Sorry, it’s the truth, though.”

Meian laughs and ushers them in. “Oh, the information team just needs to confirm something. I’m sure everything will be solved quickly.”

Kuroo and Kenma exchange glances. _They’re suspicious of something_.

The evidence room is more of a storage room at this point. Locked metal shelves full of boxes containing evidence found by the Crows are pushed against the wall. Two file cabinets stand next to the desk with a computer. A simple table is in the middle with two matching chairs. 

Tadashi Yamaguchi and Tsukishima Kei stand in front of the table, hands behind their backs. Shirabu Kenjirou, the sharp-eyed blond leader of the Information Division, stands in front of the computer. His typing is so hard Kenma flinches as he hears the _clack clack clack_ from the door.

“Shirabu, Kozume-san is here,” Meian says, closing the door. Kenma stiffens. The agents’ eyes seem to hone into him. He lowers his head. Even if he knows he has no reason to be nervous, there’s something about the way the Crow agents watch him carefully that wants him to curl into himself.

Shirabu clicks the computer off and turns around. “Right, let’s get into it then.”

The metal shelves groan as the locks disable.

Tsukishima makes Kenma sit in front of the table, eyeing Kuroo when he stands guard next to Kenma. Yamaguchi gives Kenma a reassuring smile as Tsukishima takes his place next to him. Shirabu takes out a box and places it on the table. He puts on a pair of nitrile gloves and takes out a clear plastic bag. Opening it, he shakes the content out onto the table.

“A raid in a warehouse suspected of contraband resulted in the discovery of this,” Shirabu says as he nudges the object closer to Kenma. “We’ve asked our other contracts about these and so far they haven’t identified it as theirs. You’re last on the list so we’re hoping you say yes otherwise we’re pulling the others back here to beat the truth out of them.”

Kenma lifts his head, eyes wide.

“Oh, hahaha he’s joking,” Yamaguchi says, a hand up as if to calm Kenma down.

Kenma looks at Tsukishima who subtly shakes his head. Kuroo puts a hand on Kenma’s shoulder, grip tight. If Kuroo’s worried then he should tread carefully.

Shirabu puts down a pair of nitrile gloves. “Put these on when you inspect it, Kozume-san.”

Kenma complies, stretching the gloves taut. He can feel Shirabu’s heavy stare on him as he picks it up for inspection, feeling the eyes focus on his hands. Kenma tries his best to ignore it and studies the object.

As big as his gaming mouse, the object sits comfortably in his hands. The weight is almost nonexistent with how light it is. He feels the outer shell and thinks it might be plastic. Plastic or hardened silicone? No, it can’t be silicone. There are some wires poking out of the object and the whole thing reminds Kenma of a jellyfish.

A jellyfish…

“Do you have any tools I could use to open this up?” Kenma asks. 

Tsukishima nods and rummages around the cabinet. He hands him a mini toolkit before standing next to Yamaguchi again. Kenma murmurs a thanks before prying the thing open. Inside, he finds a chip and sure enough, he finds the bumps forming a jellyfish shape.

Shirabu closes in when he sees Kenma’s hands tremble. “You know what it is. What is it, Kozume-san?”

“This is a prototype,” Kenma says, voice almost a whisper. “This wasn’t even supposed to make it to production because it was ruled inhumane by the company.” Kenma meets Shirabu’s look with a fierce one of his own. “You’re not even supposed to see the blueprint of this.”

Shirabu regards him before saying, “We found it after following a request of looking into a suspicious warehouse. It was causing a White Lily family some problems. This thing has been sitting in the storage for years until a report came in earlier.”

Yamaguchi comes forward and hands Kenma a picture of something similar to the object in his hand. “A report from a contract came with this. We identified it as the same as the thing in your hands. We would like an explanation, Kozume-san.”

The object in his hands looks outdated compared to the one in the picture. It was sleeker and smaller if the ruler comparison was anything to go by. Someone had stolen the blueprint and made something out of it.

“My father was a product developer for a health company,” Kenma says, letting the object fall down to the table. “The products were aimed for old people. He made a product that could track a person’s vitals that could be inside their body for a 24/7 observation. The board ruled it as inhumane because it made it look like the patients were cattle; like animals. So, it was dismissed and my father kept the blueprint gathering dust at home. There’s no digital copy of the blueprint. It should be impossible to make this.”

Shirabu looks doubtful and crosses his arms. “Then, how can you explain this?”

“I don’t know,” Kenma answers, genuinely confused. “It’s just a monitoring device with no malicious intent. I didn’t even know it could be a contraband.”

“Well, I think that answers your suspicions, right?” Kuroo says, giving Shirabu a look. “Kenma gave you what you want, there’s no need for the pressure you’re giving him.”

“I’m not pressuring him.”

“Your whole attitude says otherwise, Shirabu-san.”

Shirabu narrows his eyes. “I’m doing my _job_ , Kuroo-san. I’m not letting my personal affiliations affect my work life.”

“Shirabu-san,” Kuroo growls.

“Okay, that’s enough,” Meian says, stepping in. “Shirabu-san, I think that’s enough.”

Shirabu relents. “Understood, Meian-san.”

“Tsukishima, please lead our guests out. Shirabu-san and I have some matters to discuss.”

The Crow agent does as what he’s told, albeit with a bit of hesitation as he glances at Yamaguchi. Yamaguchi waves him off with a cheery smile and laughs when Tsukishima gives him a warning look as the door closes behind them.

* * *

“I didn't know you were in the information division now, Tsukki,” Kuroo says, grin sharp. “Since when did you leave the field?”

Tsukishima doesn’t spare him a glance. “Please don’t butcher my name, Kuroo-san. My position in the MSBY is not your concern.”

Kuroo places a hand over his heart. “Tsukki, as your mentor-”

“Didn’t you just teach him how to fire a gun once,” Kenma mumbles.

Kuroo clears his throat. “As I was saying, as your _mentor_ , of course it’s my concern. What kind of a teacher would I be if I don’t check up on my pupil?”

Tsukishima side-eyes him. “Someone with separation issues, maybe.”

Kenma snorts quietly but Kuroo hears it. “Kenma! Don’t take his side.”

“I didn’t say anything.”

“Did too.”

“Did not.”

“Did too!”

“Aren’t you adults in your late 20s,” Tsukishima says, grimacing.

“We don’t talk about that Tsukki, have some manners,” Kuroo scolds him. “Any hint on what the hell that was earlier?”

Tsukishima stays silent as they round a corner. Then in a low voice, he says, “There’s a case of child kidnapping. Yamaguchi is assigned to the case.”

Kenma does his best to look as casual as possible. “What did that have to do with us?”

Tsukishima shrugs. “Who knows. You could be a double agent for all we know.”

“What does a child kidnapping have to do with a vital tracker?” Kuroo asks.

“Well, there are a lot of reasons as to why.” Tsukishima leads them to the elevator. “But I’m sure you already have your suspicions, right?”

Kuroo and Kenma step inside the elevator. Kuroo purses his lips, confused, but Tsukishima was looking at Kenma.

“I’m sure,” Tsukishima smiles at him in a way that infuriates Kenma, “that you’ve already made the connection. Good luck on your digging, Kozume-san.”

The door closes on Kenma’s enraged expression.

* * *

“Yamaguchi, what do you think?” Shirabu asks.

The Information Division is the only division in MSBY that has access to everything on the database. With a registered account, information specialists like Yamaguchi has knowledge of all the cases Shirabu allows him. Other than providing intel back-up to the agents, the Information Division is also responsible for brainstorming the bigger picture. 

“I think Kenma-san really doesn’t know what it is about,” Yamaguchi replies honestly. “I think the thing was modified after the blueprint was stolen or copied. There’s always the case that someone during the board meeting copied his idea with other purposes in mind. But still, it doesn’t make sense. Why is Bokuto-san’s case of illegal transports overlapping with Miya-san and Sakusa-san’s case of kidnapping?”

Unknown to the Black Jackal agents, most of their cases or missions were byproducts of other White Lily family history. Causes such as grudges, inheritance struggles, and infidelity lead to problems. The Information Division has an ever-present headache of untangling the webs of history and keeping them as separate as possible. It might explain the sour expression of Shirabu who leads the Information Division.

“A few years ago, there was a case of a child trafficking ring that was a hell of a mess to undercover,” Shirabu sighs, aggravated. “It involved made up _government_ orphanages, illegal quack clinics, and a whole research facility that was more like a concentration camp than anything. It was an unbelievable case for the NPA and even got the PSIA involved at some point. It was one of the messiest shitstorms of MSBY history because some White Lily Families were involved in it.”

“Shirabu,” Meian cautions.

Shirabu waves his concern away. “He should know this. If he’s handling the Miya case and other Black Jackal’s case okay he can handle this. So, anyway. I searched for anything related to a vital tracker in the body and came up with nothing. Then I remembered, in the doctor’s notes, the tracker was found in the neck. When I searched for that, I got a result. Guess who it was, Meian-san.”

At Meian’s silence, he says, “Miya Atsumu appeared. Did you know about his history?”

“It was the most surprising case I’ve ever read,” Shirabu says, eyes unreadable. “An escapee of the facility with a near-death injury at the neck. He was reported missing when he was 7 from a supposed government orphanage and rescued at age 13. With him was no other than his current partner, Sakusa Kiyoomi. The most bizarre part of it was that they were healthy though they did have bruises and suffered psychological trauma. Other children weren’t like that; they were worked to the bone. It was almost as if they had some sort of value in the facility.”

“It’s not my business to know the history of my agents, Shirabu,” Meian says, voice firm. 

“Well, it’s my job and I’m telling you you have two sources of information,” Shirabu retorts, glaring at Meian. “I’m not keen on digging up the skeletons in their closets, Meian, but they’re our best bet in solving this. We need to know what the hell happened in the facility.”

Meian glances at Yamaguchi. “Does he really have to know about this?”

“Meian-san is right, Shirabu-san,” Yamaguchi says weakly, “this is their personal-”

“I’m not telling you this for no reason,” Shirabu snaps, “I’m allowing you to know about this because I know you’re trying to solve the Miya case 3 years ago by your own.” At Yamaguchi’s flustered expression, he snorts. “You’ve been digging up information for a cold case all by yourself. I can’t blame you though, I know about your gratitude for what Miya and Sakusa did for you.”

“What I’m saying is,” Shirabu sighs deeply, “is that we could solve two cases just by getting the information straight out of the sources. It’s going to be an asshole move but we need to do it. Miya and Sakusa’s case is a child kidnapping. There’s a possibility they might ship the kid overseas if we don’t move fast enough.”

Meian clenches his jaw. “I’ll look into it. Don’t do anything to Miya and Sakusa without my permission.”

“Fine. But it better be soon or I’ll do it myself.”

Meian gives Shirabu a hard look before exiting the room, the door banging behind him. Yamaguchi gulps, still hearing the echo of the door closing. Shirabu sighs and leans against the metal table.

“Ah, our captain has always been soft,” Shirabu sighs. He raises a brow at Yamaguchi. “You do know why I let you know about this, right?”

Yamaguchi stands in attention. “No, not really sir.”

Shirabu rolls his eyes. “Don’t play that bullshit with me. I know you’ve made some connections already. This and the hit on Miya Osamu was not a coincidence. Not to mention, Sakusa flew out of the country as soon as possible following the incident. Sakusa knew what was up though I’m sure Miya still has no idea.”

“Are you going to tell Miya-san about it?”

“No, it’s not my business.” Shirabu huffs. “If Sakusa went so far as to hop country to country just to solve the case by himself without taking Miya with him, I’m sure he has his reasons. Those two were always joined by the hip. And Sakusa _hates_ flying to foreign countries. That’s dedication right there.”

Yamaguchi frowns. “But Miya-san deserves to know…”

“That may be true but I’m sure Sakusa knows what he’s doing,” Shirabu says. “I mean, this is the guy who handled Miya Atsumu for years. I’m sure he’s fine.”

* * *

MSBY Information Division

Agent Profile

Name: Shirabu Kenjirou  
Rank: Eagle  
DOB: 04/05/1995  
Combat Performance: 3.3/5  
Firearm Performance: 3.5/5  
Occupation: Head of Information Division  
Place of Operation: Japan  
Partner: N/A

Notes: Please don’t interact until he gets his morning coffee.

* * *

**[11:32 PM, Miya Atsumu’s Apartment, Tokyo, Japan]**

Sakusa Kiyoomi is not fine. It has been 20 minutes since they’ve arrived in front of Atsumu’s apartment complex. Sakusa has counted inside his head while Atsumu stays silent. He’s almost at his limit, wanting to smack Atsumu’s fidgeting hands. It’s so _annoying_.

With a blank face, he pulls the keys out of the ignition. The car engine dies down.“Atsumu, the car is broken. Let me sleep over at your house.”

Atsumu looks at him, incredulous. “What? But the car was working just a second ago-”

“The car,” Sakusa says pointedly, “is _broken_ . It does not _function_. I. Am. Stuck. Here. I have nowhere to sleep. Oh. _No_.”

Atsumu blinks at him before understanding dawns on him. Sakusa sometimes wonders if Atsumu really is the people person between the both of them when he’s this clueless. “Oh! Yer right, Omi-kun. Right, uh. It would be rude to make ya sleep at yer car, right?”

Sakusa nods, serious. “Yes. It would be absolutely rude. As an upholding Japanese citizen taught about the importance of hospitality, it would be rude.”

“Right, right. Yer right.” Atsumu becomes quiet before wringing his hands again. 

Sakusa is close to smacking him. “ _Atsumu_.”

“Right, right! Omi-kun, ya should just stay in my room tonight!” Atsumu says, or more like yells. “It would be bad for your back if ya sleep here, y’know?”

“A couch will be fine,” Sakusa says. He doesn’t want to push Atsumu. He’s sure Atsumu has some grudge with his sudden leave 3 years ago. 

“I don’t have a couch!” Atsumu says in a panic.

Silence fills the car once more. Atsumu’s close to combusting while Sakusa is just unsure how to continue the conversation.

“I mean,” Atsumu waves his hands around wildly. “I mean, my bed’s more comfortable, y’know! This is just prime hospitality, Omi-kun!”

A hesitant nod. “Right. Should we go up now?”

Atsumu vigorously nods and clambers behind him to open the car door. Sakusa locks the car and follows after him. The car ride was a bit awkward but nothing Sakusa couldn’t handle. 

Atsumu’s apartment is the same as it has been 3 years ago. Sakusa can see some new changes like the small Nendroid figures placed in random places, striking different poses. The wide bookshelf in the living room has more manga volumes now. He still keeps a hand sanitizer next to the shoe cubicle and Sakusa’s chest warms as he remembers Atsumu putting it there for him.

“Ya can take a bath first, Omi,” Atsumu says from the kitchen. Sakusa can hear him opening cabinets; he must be getting tea ready. “The bathroom’s clean. Or ya can clean it again, the cleaning supplies are below the sink.”

“Thank you,” Sakusa says and receives a hum in return. He enters the bathroom and opens the cabinet, rolling his sleeves up. Surprisingly, Atsumu’s supplies are fully stocked. There are even new heavy-duty gloves. Atsumu _never_ buys those. Huh.

* * *

After an internal debate that lasted a total of 4 minutes, Atsumu decides not to call Osamu for advice on what to do. His brother would probably make fun of him and Atsumu wants help damn it. So, he decides to solve it himself. He’s a capable 27-year-old man. He can do this.

“Atsumu?” 

Atsumu turns his head around, pouring hot water to a mug. “Yeah?”

Sakusa stands in front of the bathroom door, a towel wrapped around his waist. He pushes his wet hair out of his face, grimacing. It seems like Sakusa hadn’t skipped out on his conditioning while abroad. Atsumu’s stare dips low to his abdomen, dipping a bit lower to the-

Atsumu whips his head up too quickly and scalds himself. He puts the kettle down with a curse and clutches his hand close. Sakusa takes his hand and leads him to the sink, turning the cold water on. He ignores Atsumu’s wince and tells him to be careful next time.

When the pain subsides, Sakusa turns the faucet off. “Do you have any clothes I can borrow?”

“Ah, yeah,” Atsumu rubs his hand. “Ya can take whatever ya want from my closet.”

Sakusa returns fully dressed and sits next to him on the couch. The TV is on to a One Piece episode and wraps himself in one of the blankets Atsumu got from the linen closet. They huddle close as they watch the anime, all lights off except for the TV. 

It reminds Sakusa of the times when they would sneak out of the orphanage to escape to the manga cafes. Whenever the head custodian was particularly harsh, they would drown themselves in stolen snacks and manga volumes. Sometimes, they would spend a little more and stay the night to watch anime. It was easy to forget about the facility and the mean children when Doraemon takes out a cool gadget from his belly pocket or when Luffy defeats someone stronger than him. Sakusa likes to think he and Atsumu could be like that; strong enough to defeat the bad guys.

“Hey, Omi,” Atsumu whispers. “Do ya dream about the facility?”

“I do.” Sakusa’s voice is matter-of-fact. “It’s hard not to.”

“Then, do ya regret bein’ there? Like, if ya could, would ya want to not be there?”

“I don’t think any of us had wanted to be there,” Sakusa answers wryly. “And yes, if I could, I would have wanted that part of my life to be nonexistent. But that also means not meeting you, so I’m just glad it had already passed.”

Atsumu’s cheeks heat and he’s sure it’s not because he didn’t turn the AC on. He refuses to be swayed though. “Oh. Then, Omi, why’d ya leave then?”

Atsumu, he hates to admit it, is afraid of Sakusa’s answer.

“I didn’t leave because I hate you, Atsumu,” Sakusa says, sounding a bit offended. “I left because- Because I needed to do something. By myself.”

Atsumu gives him a dirty look. “Ya could have just told me then. Why’d ya leave like that?”

Sakusa purses his lips and looks away, watching the episode. Atsumu fumes silently as he turns to the TV. Sakusa passes him a dorayaki from the snack pile on the floor. Atsumu snatches it and chews on the chocolate pancake with vengeance.

“Atsumu.”

He responds by chewing loudly. Sakusa sighs. “Atsumu.”

Atsumu turns his head and almost chokes on his dorayaki when Sakusa pinches his cheeks. “It’s rude to ignore your guest, you know.” When Atsumu refuses to move, he grabs the other cheek to force him to look at him. Atsumu pointedly looks down when he tries to meet his eyes.

“I can’t tell you yet.”

“Why not?” Atsumu demands.

Sakusa narrows his eyes. “Stop being a brat.”

“‘M pretty sure I have the right to be a brat, _Sakusa-san_.”

An irritated sigh is Atsumu’s only warning before Sakusa has him over his shoulder, picking up the remote to turn the TV off. He ignores Atsumu’s indignant yells and thumps on his back. Without breaking a sweat, he marches them to the bedroom, kicks the door close, and throws Atsumu on the bed. Quickly, he wraps Atsumu in the blanket, rolls him tightly, gets on the bed, and wraps a leg on Burrito Atsumu.

“Omi-kun, what the hell!” Atsumu protests.

Sakusa wraps his arms around him. “Let’s sleep, it’s late. Good night, Atsumu.”

“Omi-kun, let me go you little-”

“Yawn. Okay, good night.”

“Omi!”

Sakusa buries his face on the back of Atsumu’s neck. “Mhm. You’ll wake the neighbors up. Go to sleep, we’re up early tomorrow.”

“Yer avoidin’ my question,” Atsumu accuses as he tries to wiggle out of the blanket. “Omi, the fuck. Why is it so tight.”

Sakusa raises his head. “Can you breath?”

“Uh, yeah, but-”

He lowers his head and closes his eyes. “Then there’s no problem. Good night.”

Atsumu huffs. “For someone who was slapped because he was too blunt, ya sure are bein’ a bit of a coward right now, Omi.”

Sakusa’s grip becomes a bit tighter. “I know. I’ll tell you soon.”

“Promise?”

“Promise.”

“Pinky swear promise?”

“Pinky swear- What are you a child?”

“Ah ha! I knew ya were lyin’! Let me out of here!”

Sakusa puts more weight on his leg. “Stop wiggling like a worm and go to sleep. I pinky swear promise, there. Now can you please go to sleep?”

“Okay,” Atsumu complies happily, burrowing deep to the blanket, “ya never broke a pinky swear promise before, Omi-kun! You always do ‘em. I’ll trust ya.”

 _There’s still one promise I need to fulfill,_ Sakusa thinks but doesn’t say it out loud. He tucks Atsumu’s head under his and tightens his hold around him. “Okay. Good night, Atsumu.”

“Good night, Omi.”

* * *

**[12:45 AM, Hinata Residence, Aoyama, Tokyo, Japan]**

Hinata Fumi watches, unimpressed when her husband walks on unsteady feet. His tie is askew and the top buttons of his dress shirt are undone. Fumi narrows her eyes at the unbuckled belt and the bruises on his neck. The fucker.

“If you’re going to have a quick fuck you should have the manners to hide it,” Fumi grits out.

Hinata Haruto scoffs. “As if you didn’t already know.”

“Stop being such a fucking asshole, Haruto,” Fumi snaps. “You haven’t been going to your meetings and your little midnight trips are getting on the tabloids. Do a better job of being your mother’s son.”

“The fuck is it to you?” Haruto demands, walking over to the wine cart in the living room. He pops the cork off and slumps on the couch, chugging the wine. He wipes his mouth with the back of his hand. “What, are you jealous?”

Fumi rolls his eyes. “As if I want to be one of your girls faking their moans. Just act better for fuck’s sake. Go to the meetings, you don’t need to do shit just sit your ass on a chair and pretend you care about the company. That’s all.”

“You forgot you used to be one of those girls,” Haruto leers, licking his lips. “If you don’t like what I’m doing then divorce me. Oh, that’s right you can’t ‘cause then you’d be _penniless_.”

Fumi clenches her hands, long acrylic nails digging to her palm. She stomps over to him, leans over, and jabs a sharp finger to his chest. 

“Listen, carefully you little shit,” Fumi hisses. “ _You_ need me. _Your_ company needs me otherwise you wouldn’t have any money to spend on your collection of whores. Don’t talk shit when the real worthless trash here is _you._ ”

She steps back when Haruto tries to spit on her. “Fuck you, you bitch!”

Fumi walks away and clicks her fingers. A maid immediately comes to her side. 

“Get him to his bed and if he pukes on you ask the head maid for compensation,” Fumi instructs, pausing by the stairs. “Make sure he’s presentable for tomorrow and drag his ass if he refuses to go to the meeting.”

Fumi walks up the stairs without waiting for a confirmation. The headache is growing on her temple. The poison is becoming tempting these days.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, hello~ Welcome to another chapter~! (＾▽＾) For you readers who theorize, have you made any connections yet?? I know I said the angst will be coming but I reread the angst part and then I decided I should give you a cushion before I let you fall so I'll be giving you a warning~ For now, it'll be confusing theories (≧◡≦)
> 
> If you have TWT let's be MOOTS!! (ɔˆз(ˆ⌣ˆc) My @ is **[@dai_naning](@dai_naning)**!!


	9. Interlude: Fumi

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! This is kind of short and I understand if you want to skip this! Next week, the fic will continue back to the current timeline so please wait until then~ If you're a reader who is keen on collecting clues, this is for you~ This is more like a backstory
> 
> Recommended song: Monster by IRENE & SEULGI - Red Velvet

_“A thinking woman sleeps with monsters.”_

* * *

**[10:24 AM, 9 Years Ago, Kakimori, Taito-ku, Tokyo, Japan]**

Saito Fumi is a mistress. Well, she’s not the only one. She’s certain the man who lavishes her with designer bags and heels with red bottoms have others like her. It doesn’t make her anxious; if the man decides to drop her then she can just find another. In a city like Tokyo whose men in high society are eager in their pursuit of having the ‘best’, the supply and demand of hidden ladies like her never cease.

Many women would scorn her lifestyle. After all, what kind of self-respecting woman would allow herself to be seen like this? A whore in demand. What kind of person is she? Is she so lazy to work that she relies on a man whose left hand has a matching gold band with another woman’s?

Fumi pays them no mind. So what if it’s easy money? Not a lot of jobs can help pay for her sister’s school fees. Even with a scholarship, attending a prestigious university is still expensive. Will their self-righteous scorn keep the red bills away? No, so they don’t matter.

As of now, she’s browsing the art store’s stationery items. Her sister is into calligraphy these days and her grades have been at the top of her class. It’s only natural for her to look forward to spoiling her.

“The oblique pen is wonderful for calligraphy, I recommend it,” a lilting voice says next to her. 

Fumi grabs it and turns to thank the stranger, “Thank you, is this good for beginners?”

The woman is gorgeous. Grace and elegance show subtly with her simple semi-casual outfit of a white blouse and high-waist black pants and gold jewelry. The long bright orange curls that sit messily on top of her head in a bun is eye-catching. Her brown eyes seem to be kind as she regards the other pens on display. Next to her, Fumi is suddenly reminded of the fabled princesses of goodwill her younger sister reads about in her fairy tale books. She seems familiar somehow.

The woman hums and asks for an attendant. After a chat between them, the woman asks her company for coffee in a nearby coffee shop. Fumi, entranced by her friendly personality, agrees. When they step into the coffee shop and order their drinks, Fumi feels as if she was plucked by a popular girl in high school. The people stare at them, eyes following the smooth movement of her companion.

They seat themselves near the floor-to-ceiling window. A mindless talk about fashion and clothes, Fumi enjoys herself. Then, remembering her manners, she introduces herself and asks for the name of her companion.

“My name is Hinata Yoko, it’s a pleasure to meet you Saito-san,” Yoko says with a small smile.

Fumi freezes in her seat. At her horrified face, Yoko waves her mortification with a cheery laugh. “Oh, don’t worry I know who you are. You don’t need to be afraid, I’m not here to make a scene.”

Doubt makes her cautiously glance around. “Then, why are you here? What do you want with me?”

Yoko stirs her coffee and simply says, “I know about my husband’s mistresses. It’s not really a secret; you could even say a rich husband having another woman is a culture in high society. Isn’t it funny? The people who are supposed to be the most dignified are full of dirt. It’s quite disgusting at times, actually.”

“What’s your point?”

Yoko gives her a smile. Fumi wonders why she ever thought of Yoko’s eyes as kind. There is nothing kind with the way her brown eyes burn like a wildfire. “I want you to help me take down my husband, Saito-san.”

Fumi gapes at her. “What? Why would you-”

The phone on the table suddenly lights up with a notification. Yoko reads it and stands up, sighing. “I’m afraid it’s time for me to go.” She holds out a hand to which Fumi hesitantly shakes. “If you’re interested, please see me soon. Out of all of them, I think you’re the most promising.”

With the cheery ring of the bell above the door, Hinata Yoko exits the coffee shop. A sticky note containing a date and an address is on Fumi’s hand. 

* * *

**[3:43 PM, 9 Years Ago, Honkomagome Public Library, Bunkyo City, Tokyo, Japan]**

Fumi finds Hinata Yoko in the study hall. With her casual look of a sweater and dark jeans, she blends in with the other high schoolers. Fumi suddenly thinks Hinata Haruto is insane for cheating on this woman. She’s beautiful and graceful, the golden standard of a high society wife. 

The sticky note instructed her to bring a book titled Dangerous Liaisons by a foreign author. Fumi had searched up what it was about and based on the summary, the mind games between the two characters are insane.

Yoko is wearing glasses this time. The fluorescent lights above them make her brown eyes glassy and detached. 

“So, then?” Fumi asks, keeping her voice down. “What do you want with me?”

  
Yoko continues reading. “Hm. I’d like you to become my husband’s wife.”

Fumi’s knees bang against the table. She hurriedly says sorry to the glares she received due to the disturbance. Picking up the book and opening it to a random page, she hisses, “What the hell do you mean by that?”

A turn of a page. “Exactly as what I said. I want you to stop being a mistress and take the title of Haruto’s wife.”

“What? You’re going to let a side girl take your spot? Isn’t that humiliating?”

Yoko raises a brow at her book. “Not really since I want you to. Is there really any rule of a wife wanting to hand the torch to another woman?”

“Uh huh,” Fumi scowls. “Why the hell would you want this then, what are you really after?”

“In two or three years, I’ll most likely be dead,” Yoko answers, running a hand down the page’s end. “I’m still not sure when, but it’s guaranteed. I need to make sure someone I know will carry my plan for me.”

Fumi grimaces. Rich people and their twisting words. “What’s in it for me?”

A paper, which Fumi thought to be a bookmark, is pulled beneath the book and is slid towards her. She picks it up and reads through it, eyes widening at the contents.

“A large portion of my wealth will be entrusted to you,” Yoko says, not looking up from her book. “So will be some of my properties and shares in other companies. Of course, if you become a Hinata, the title itself is a gift. Honor and a legal entrance to the world of the rich. With how useless Haruto is to the company, you’ll most likely have work in the company, too. A manager of a sister company at the least.”

Fumi lowers the book. “Then, why give this all up?”

Yoko sighs, briefly closing her eyes. “I have no choice. I told you, I’d most likely die in a year or two. The best I can do is prepare myself for the fallout.”

“This sounds too good to be true,” Fumi accuses, sliding the paper back. “There’s no way you can just give these to me.”

“Of course it’s not going to be easy,” Yoko says with a light smile. “I need to liquify my assets, transfer my assets to you legally without the hag knowing, and train you to take in my role. You’ll need to do etiquette training, learn how to run a household and keep the public image of the family clean, and most importantly, act like a true member of the society.”

“So, then why? Why would I make myself go through all of that?” 

“Well, there’s the fact that Haruto might grow bored of you.” Yoko lists with her fingers, “you can get into an unknown accident and lose your appeal. There’s a possibility that you might not get a job that can support you if you lose this lifestyle. Oh, and the fact that if you succeed in doing this, you can have riches beyond your imagination. The choice is yours, of course.”

Fumi stares at Yoko’s cheery look. Finally, she sighs. “Fine, let’s do it. What the hell do I have to lose?”

Yoko gives her a cryptic smile. “Exactly. What do you have to lose?”

* * *

**[8:02 PM, 8 Years Ago, Beauty Lab, Shinjuku, Tokyo, Japan]**

Fumi is tired. For the past 8 months, she’s been in Yoko’s training regime. She was enrolled in an etiquette class where a strict teacher whacked her on the shoulder whenever her back slouches. Yoko’s blank black card swipes endlessly as she buys her clothes and designer accessories, making her dress like a proper lady of the high society. 

It doesn’t end in her physical training. Yoko had made her memorize a thick book of profiles about the Hinata Conglomerate. Her mind swims with information about investors, sister companies, stock numbers, and little notes about some important people. If her body isn’t aching from the constant walking in killer high heels then she’s almost dying from mind combustion.

Earlier, she was in hour-long classes of language and commerce. Her English is so good to the point she can proudly tutor her younger sister. It’s amazing.

As a treat, Yoko brings her to a beauty store that specializes in custom makeup. She lets Fumi have free reign on what she wants, taking some for herself.

“You’re doing well with Haruto,” Yoko praises, picking up a glass perfume. An attendant waits at a respectable distance from them. “So far, he’s dropped five of his other girls. Impressive.”

Fumi knows Haruto was a bastard but 5 girls? “How much left?”

Yoko hums as she inspects the perfume. “Hm. Three more.”

“Any notes you can give me?”

Yoko puts the perfume down and moves to the next display. “As far as I know, one of them is his sugar baby. That might be tough to make him drop though if you could make him marry you then I suppose it doesn’t matter.”

“He’s been heavy hints lately,” Fumi says, smug. “I think it’s close.”

Haruto has been giving her more and more gifts these days. The trips to the jewelry store have also increased. Fumi’s sweet words might be doing their intended effect.

“That’s good,” Yoko says and walks to a counter. “Pick your colors.”

Fumi peers at the set-up of color powders and a pressing machine. “What’s all of this?”

“She makes custom lipsticks,” Yoko explains, leaning on the counter with an elbow. “She mixes the colors and presses them into a container. There’s also the option of inscribing.”

“Oh, that’s cool,” Fumi says. “Can I have two? I want to give one to my sister.”

Yoko blinks, taken aback before smiling at her. “Of course. Whatever you want.”

They both watch as the employee mixes and presses their lipsticks. Fumi chose a light rosy pink for her sister and a bolder red for her. Yoko chose a matte red, content on simple. They have their names inscribed on the bottom of the container. 

Standing behind her, Yoko puts Fumi’s bold red lipstick on her lips, watching her through the mirror. Somehow, the action feels intimate and makes Fumi want to step away. Yoko leans in close to her ears. 

“I hope you do well, Fumi.”

* * *

**[11:04 AM, 8 Years Ago, Fashion Store, Ginza, Tokyo, Japan]**

Saito Fumi can blend into the high society now. Her chin is held high as she shops in the fashion district of Ginza, movements light and a sort of ease months of practice can only achieve. Next to her stands Hinata Yoko, rifling through the racks.

“So, why did you call me?” Fumi asks as she chooses between two blouses. 

“How should I say this,” Yoko says as she taps a finger to her lips, “we might have a complication.”

Fumi raises a brow, silently prompting her to explain. Yoko sighs and cups a hand over her stomach. “I might be pregnant.”

Fumi throws the clothes at her. “Don’t joke like that.”

A year of conspiring with someone to take their role as a wife does wonders in bringing people together. There’s also the fact that Fumi has been slowly cutting her roots from her previous life. As Yoko warns her, Hinata Kanemi will come looking for any chinks in her armor. In a fight against the dragon, Fumi has to be as prepared as she can. 

This makes her spend time with Yoko more if she’s not swamped in her lessons. Ironically, this is the only time Fumi has ever been close to a woman near her age.

Yoko picks up the clothes and puts them back on the rack. “Don’t throw them like that. And I’m not kidding, the doctor confirmed me to be on my first trimester.”

Fumi grimaces because… “Does that mean, Haruto…?”

Yoko sighs. “I don’t know. I don’t want to think about it. I just want to let you know that maybe in a year you’ll be taking care of it.”

“Still with your belief that you’ll die?” Fumi snorts.

Yoko smiles bitterly. “Of course, Fumi. It’s only logical, you’ll see.”

* * *

“This is Akaashi Keiji, he’s an ally.”

Akaashi Keji is a serious fresh graduate who wears suits that fit him unfairly and whose eyes seem more capable of danger than Hinata Yoko. He gives a stiff bow and Fumi can already tell he’s somewhat of a brat. Due to his rich background or just his personality, Fumi’s not sure.

“And the other one?” Fumi asks, staring at a shorter man with bleached blond hair. “What about him?”

Yoko gives a smile as she urges him to step forward. “This is Kozume Kenma but he says he would rather be addressed by his first name. He’s also with us.”

Kozume Kenma is shy as he hides behind his curtain of bleached hair and fiddling with his gaming console. The four of them are currently in a hotel room. According to Yoko, the old hag is keeping a tighter leash on her. They have to be more careful with meeting up.

Yoko excuses herself to take a phone call. Fumi turns to the others as she sits down on a couch. “So, what did she promise you?”

Akaashi’s face does not twitch a bit. “Pardon?”

“What did she compensate you with doing all of this?” Fumi gestures vaguely. “Mine was wealth and stuff. You know, typical reasons.”

Kenma sits down on the bed, voice a mumble. “She didn’t give us any money.”

“What? Why not?”

“We have no need for it,” Akaashi answers, blunt. 

Fumi scoffs. Typical rich kids. “Then why? Do you even know what we’re doing?”

Hinata Yoko’s grand plan of toppling the dragon at the top of the Hinata Conglomerate is close to impossible. Despite her old age, the head Hinata still possesses a strong hold on the whole company. Navigating around her eyes and ears in the company will be like walking through a tightrope. 

“I’m well-acquainted with the details of what Hinata-san’s plans are,” Akaashi says, still standing. The fact somehow irks Fumi. “And I believe my own reasons can be kept personal.”

Fumi stares at him. Akaashi’s eyes are… they are blank. He would have been handsome in her standards if not for his eyes. Fumi wonders how he looks when he actually feels something.

“Same here,” Kenma whispers. 

Fumi sighs. This whole thing just got more complicated.

* * *

_“Why are you doing this whole thing anyway?” Fumi grumbles, drunk from the 1787 Chateau Margaux Yoko bought her. “Who the hell wants to face a scary dragon all alone?”_

_Yoko merely smiles as she tries to guide her to the bed. “Well, I’m not alone. I have you, Kenma, and Akaashi.”_

_Fumi squints at her. “You’re avoiding the question, you know.”_

_Yoko’s laughter seems to settle around Fumi in her drunken haze. The orange hair of Yoko seems to glow like a dying sun. The only light in the room is her bedside lamp. “I am. Why, will you stop helping me if I refuse to tell you?”_

_“Of course not,” Fumi scoffs. “Why would I give up after all those painful lessons you made me take.”_

_Fumi thinks for the nth time that Yoko’s smile is too serene for someone who estimated her remaining years. “Is that so? Well, I hope you’ll continue without me pushing you to attend those lessons, Fumi.”_

_“Shut up,” Fumi slurs, eyes closing. “Shut up, stop talking like you’re gonna be gone, dumbass.”_

_Even with her eyes closed, Fumi knows Yoko’s lips are quirked upwards in amusement. “I keep telling you Fumi, it’s the eventual outcome.”_

* * *

**[3:05 AM, June 21, 7 Years Ago, Tokyo Metropolitan Hiroo Hospital, Tokyo, Japan]**

Hinata Shouyou is born healthy with a delightful laugh and shiny brown eyes like her mother. His weight is normal, all his limbs are present, and his skin has a pinkish hue. Fumi, Akaash, and Kenma secretly sneak into her room to congratulate her.

Over the months, her relationship with the other two improved. She can even say they’re all friends now.

“Isn’t this wonderful?” Yoko muses as she watches the three of them bicker over the baby. “You’re closer than siblings now.”

Akaashi grimaces. “I don’t think that’s the right comparison, Hinata-san.”

“Ah, Akaashi,” Yoko admonishes. “I told you to call me Yoko-san. And come here you three. I’ll show you my little Shouyou.”

Yoko teaches them how to hold small Shouyou properly and laughs as the usually stoic Akaashi panics. Shouyou grips Kenma’s finger and smiles at him, making Kenma’s golden eyes soften to a melted gold. Fumi thinks he’s the sun incarnate; so full of brightness and joy. 

“Why did you pick Shouyou as his name?” Fumi asks as he coos over the tiny fingers of the baby. “Is there a specific reason?”

“Did you name him Shouyou so you can have the same meaning?” At the others’ questioning glances, Akaashi explains, “Yoko-san’s name means ‘child of the sun’. Shouyou has the kanji for the sun in his name.”

“That’s right,” Yoko answers as she peers down at her baby. “I want at least a part of me to be with him. He’s so bright and wonderful, too. Don’t you just agree that he’s blessed by the sun?”

With a kiss to her baby’s forehead, Yoko hands Shouyou to Fumi before letting herself part with him. Her smile seems serene and Fumi watches in slow-motion as she rides into the car, sparing one last longing glance at Shouyou.

Hinata Yoko manages to hold her baby for 48 hours before she dies in a car accident. It was ruled as an unfortunate engine failure but Fumi knows better. No one looks at their child like that unless they know it would be the last time.

* * *

_Hinata Yoko, the wife of the son of the Hinata Conglomerate head Hinata Kanemi is found dead minutes after her departure from the Tokyo Metropolitan Hiroo Hospital. The police have reported the cause of her death due to an engine malfunction. The funeral will be held privately. No further comments from the Hinata family are released other than their grievances._

_\- Asahi Digital News_

* * *

**[7 Years Ago, Tokyo, Japan]**

Hinata Kanemi gives her a proposal. _Be the mother to my son’s late wife’s baby. I’ll give you the title of the Hinata family._ Haruto and Fumi marry a few months later. She cuts off her last connection to her sister. The title of the Chief of Operations is given to her as her new husband sneaks to his new mistress. Akaashi Keiji becomes her personal assistant after finishing his internship at a sister company. Kozume Kenma moves to Singapore to make a name for himself in the technological industry.

Hinata Shouyou grows up without knowing his true mother and recognizes Fumi in Yoko’s place. Kanemi paid the mouths of the hospital staff shut about Shouyou’s mother. As far as the world knows, Hinata Fumi is the mother of Hinata Shouyou. 

As Fumi steps into the Hinata Estate in Aoyama, Yoko’s seeds in the garden start to grow faster. Another plan is in motion. 

* * *

_“The beak that grips her, she becomes.”_   
_Adrienne Rich_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! If you read this chapter for the sole interest of collecting clues, thank you~ Thank you for your continued interest in this fic of mine. I hope we reach the end of this fic satisfied~  
> ヽ(・∀・)ﾉ
> 
> If you wanna be friends or talk about SakuAtsu, my TWT is [@dai_naning](https://twitter.com/dai_naning?s=20) (o´∀`o)


	10. Mornings

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please tell me if I have to add new warnings!!

**[1:09 AM, Meguro Fudo Temple, Meguro City, Tokyo, Japan]**

The Meguro Fudo Temple is a 10-minute walk away from the Tokyo Meguro Line Fudo-mae station. It is a relatively famous temple, mostly due to the fearsome Fudo Myoo the ‘Wisdom King’. A calm place for prayers or a simple walk, the Meguro Fudo Temple is a sanctuary in the city of Meguro.

Kita Shinsuke walks through the Niomon Gate, seemingly becoming one with the tranquility of the place. He usually does not attract attention but somehow the sanctity of the place envelopes him. His brown eyes gaze far away past the present and his black-white hair makes him seem wise. For some reason, the kumicho of the Inarizaki yakuza gives the feeling of a model citizen.

Next to him walks Terushima Yuuji, the middle man of the other kumichos. The other kumichos have their hands busy with unpredictable traffic in the delivery of goods and products. Kita’s home turf is in Hyogo, and he was called for help when it became clear the traffic is not limited in Tokyo.

“Like I said,” Terushima says, tongue stud winking as he talks, “that the traffic seems to be coming from foreign countries. The other kumichos think it’s from Korea or China but sources there insist they have no idea about it. We can’t really trust them though but there’s also the problem with the human cargos.”

“What about them?”

“Some cargos have been taken from some of the groups,” Terushima answers. “The moles in the police force know nothing about it. I think we’re the first ones to notice the irregularity.”

Kita hums as he walks, hands folded on his back. Terushima thinks he would really blend in if he wore a yukata instead of a suit. He looks otherworldly.

“I’ll stay here for two months in Tokyo then,” Kita decides, stopping in front of a pond. “I’ll help with the cleaning.”

“They’ll be glad to have your help, Kita-san. About your accommodation, do you need help with it?”

“Oh no,” Kita waves his concern away, laughing a bit. “I have someone here. I’m sure I’ll think of something. If that’s all, I’ll be on my way. I need rest after the journey from Hyogo.”

“Oh, ‘course,” Terushima nods and bows at a strict 90-degree angle. “See you, Kita-san.”

Kita watches him walk away as his second-in-command comes out of hiding. Ojiro Aran, a tall 6 feet man, steps next to Kita. “Let’s go?”

“Yeah, we should stop by the house first. I want it checked for bugs. We might be working with the other kumichos but their trust still ain’t strong. They sent a middle man instead of callin’ for a meetin’,” Kita says, turning to walk to a waiting car. “How’s everyone back home?”

“Well, so far Ginjima hasn’t texted me anything concerning so I think they’re okay. It’s only been a couple hours though I’m sure something will happen.”

“Well, the twins aren’t in Hyogo causin’ trouble so I think they’ll be okay,” Kita says, sliding inside the car. Aran walks to the driver’s side and turns on the radio to some jazz station. “What about granny?”

“Granny’s fine, she’s been having fun with her knitting friends,” Aran answers, backing out of the parking lot. “I can show you the picture later, if you want.”

“Yeah, send it to me later too.” Kita relaxes against the car seat. “Should we go visit Atsumu and Osamu? It’s been so long since I’ve seen them in person. I haven’t checked in with Atsumu in months.”

“Ah, is it the thing with Sakusa?” 

“Yeah, Sakusa’s back. I don’t know how Atsumu’s handlin’ it but so far I think it’s going well. Osamu hadn’t called me again about it.”

“Are you going to meddle with it?”

“No, it’s not my business.” Kita chuckles. “And Osamu already did the meddlin’ for me, anyway.”

“Oh, about Osamu should we visit him and Suna too? It’s been so long since I’ve seen them both.”

“Let’s give them a heads up, Aran. I don’t want any surprises like last time.”

* * *

**[?, ?, ?, ?]**

The man hasn’t come. Hinata has been waiting for hours but the man still has not come for him. He was dragged harshly to his room and hid underneath the blankets. That man is dangerous and Hinata does not want to see him.

He can still remember the echo of the gun as it shoots the floor. The scared look of the girl. The mean voice of the man behind the glass. Hinata hates the memory and wishes he can forget it. 

The door opens with a heavy grunt and Hinata squeezes his eyes shut.

“Why are you here so early?”

Hinata peaks from below his makeshift shield to see Kageyama standing at the door who squints at him. “Is that- Is that my blanket?”

He sheepishly lowers the blanket. “Sorry I took it, Kageyama. Do you want it back?”

Kageyama stands next to Hinata’s bed. “Why are you trying to hide? Did something happen? I told you to make sure your price is low. What price did they put on you?”

“I don’t know.”

“You don’t know?”

“They said I wasn’t doing my best and then-” Hinata clenches his hands at the memory “-they brought in someone to scare me with a gun.”

Insistent hands instantly check him. “Where? Did they shoot you?”

“No, but they almost shot someone else,” Hinata looks up, eyes watery. “Kageyama, why did they do that? I did what you asked but they still became mean to me. I really tried my best to be normal!”

Kageyama crosses his arms. “Did you really?”

“I did!”

“That’s weird why would they-” Kageyama gives him a sharp look. ‘Who are you really? Do you really not know why they want you here?”

“I really don’t know, Kageyama! I don’t want to be here anymore,” Hinata whimpers, thinking back to what happened earlier. “I’m scared. They just shot the gun like it was nothing! If- If I didn’t do well, will they punish me? Will they- Will they shoot me?”

Kageyama understands his fear. Being pointed with a gun is something that will scare even an adult; he knows this for a fact. And Hinata, even without saying it, is someone who has never known the possibility of being scared because of a gun. 

Hinata’s eyes look like he’s about to cry. Kageyama huffs as he tries to think of how to stop him. He’s not good with words and the last time he tried to comfort someone they called him an unpleasant name he does not like to be associated with. 

“They won’t,” Kageyama says firmly. “They put the thing on your neck that means you’re important. But since you’re not showing _why_ they’re getting impatient. But don’t cave in and don’t get scared by them. Keep your price low and hope they take off the thing on your neck.”

Hinata feels around on his nape. “I really don’t know why I’m important, though. Mama and Akaashi-san never said anything about me being special or important. Well, not in the way you said, anyway.”

Kageyama opens his mouth to talk when an electronic bell sounds. He looks up as the door opens. With a sigh, he grabs Hinata’s arm and leads him out to the hallway again. He grunts as Hinata struggles against his grip.

“Kageyama wait, the man said he’ll come for me!” Hinata hisses. “I don’t wanna see him!”  
  


“It’s dinner and we need to be there on time or we’ll get accused of escaping,” Kageyama counters, voice low. “And about the man… I don’t think he’s gonna come for you. You’ve been gone for most of the day and he still hasn’t come. I think you’re safe.”

“You just _think_?”

“Why are you so fussy? Fine, I’m _sure_.”

Like earlier, they take the glass elevator that takes them to the food hall. Hinata waits in line with Kageyama at the food and nervously looks at the human watching over the robots. What if they jump at him and take him to the man? Hinata releases a relieved sigh when nothing happens as he leaves the line. They head to the same table they ate at breakfast and Hinata notices that the others are in a bad mood.

“What happened?” Kageyama asks as he sets down his tray.

“Iwaizumi-san,” Kunimi says darkly, “is being punished worse than usual offenders.”

The others avert their eyes. Hinata does the same but Kageyama holds Kunimi’s stare. “Then why are you looking at me like that?”

“We need to hear your answer now,” Kunimi answers. “We have no time, Kageyama. Iwaizumi-san will be released tomorrow and we need to be ready when he’s strong enough to escape.”

“I already told you my answer-”

“It’s not the one I’m looking for-”

Kageyama narrows his eyes. “Iwaizumi-san has already been captured and you’re still thinking of escaping?”

The ensuing silence makes everyone else in the table fidget. Around them, the food hall goes on, unknowing.

“Why are you so eager to escape?” Kageyama asks. “I know that there’s the age thing but what else?”

“Unlike you, we don’t have the luxury of at least getting out of here _alive_ , Kageyama,” Yahaba snaps. “We’re not important like you and Hinata. One of these days, soon. We’ll be sent away to-” He cuts a glance at Hinata “-… somewhere else. You know where.”

Kageyama grimaces. Hinata wonders how bad the place could be. His stomach suddenly feels like it would hurl everything out despite its emptiness. 

“We’ll be sent away and we’d rather fight while we can,” Kyoutani adds gruffly. “If we’re going out anyway, why not do it with all we have?”

The others nod in agreement. Hinata sneaks a glance at Kageyama to see his face. His eyes are narrowed in thought. Finally, Kageyama sighs.

“Fine,” Kageyama says much to the others’ surprise. “But I’m telling you right now. We shouldn’t rush this. They own this place and we don’t know anything about it other than the places we know. Other than Iwaizumi-san, no one else in this facility knows any restricted places.”

“Well, Yahaba already has a plan,” Kyoutani offers. “We’ll just talk about it more tomorrow then.”

“So, you’re really joining us, Kageyama?” Kindaichi asks.

“Yeah, I am,” Kageyama says. “Don’t make me regret it.”

* * *

**[2:45 AM, Meguro Hospital, Meguro City, Tokyo, Japan]**

Osamu smiles at the stationed nurse as he passes the counter. The nurse beckons him over with a wave. 

“Are you here to visit Suna-san, Miya-san?” the nurse asks, excitedly.

With a chuckle, Osamu lifts a packed lunchbox. “Yeah. I know Rin’s been on a long shift and he’s not been eatin’ right again. Is he grumpy today?”

The nurse leans in close to whisper. “He really was. His narrow eyes are so narrow today you can’t even see his pupils!”

Osamu laughs. “I’ll fix that, don’t worry. Where is he now?”

“He should be taking a break from a shift,” the nurse answers as she taps into the computer. “Yep. He just logged in for a break.”

Osamu tells her to have a good night and goes on his way. Suna had sent him a text saying he has a special patient to give special care to. When Osamu recognizes a Crow casually patrolling outside of a room, it suddenly makes sense. He sneaks to the break room and finds Suna slumped over on a couch, his lab coat used as a makeshift blanket.

Osamu takes a moment to observe Suna. His boyfriend has always been a fast sleeper and doesn’t have much regard for sleeping anywhere. Right now, his mouth is open and a light drool is sliding down to his cheek. He stifles a snicker when Suna curls closer to himself and grimaces.

Slowly, Osamu comes close and brushes the stray hair out of his face. Suna cracks an eye open and squints at him. With a yawn, he sits up. Osamu shakes the lunchbox in front of Suna until he sees his eyes light up. Grinning, he sets it down on Suna’s lap which his boyfriend opens quickly.

“Have I ever told you I love you?” Suna asks, loudly.

“You did but ya can always say it again.”

Suna grabs his face and plants a wet kiss on his lips making Osamu smile widely. “I love you. There.”

Osamu leans back on the couch as Suna gobbles down his lunchbox. “Slow down, yer gonna choke or somethin’. Anythin’ interesting happened today?”

“Yeah. Atsumu found out about my thing with the gang. He was okay with it though.”

“What? How the hell did that even come up?”

“Well,” Suna pauses, “it just kinda was in the case…?”

Osamu’s eyes sharpen. “Case? ‘Tsumu had a case connected to yer past, Sunarin? What is it?” He tries to meet Suna’s eyes when they avoid his. “He told ya to keep shut about it, didn’t he?”

Suna sighs. “He did. He told me he wants to be the one to tell it to you.” At Osamu’s upset face, he sets the lunchbox down to hold Osamu’s face between his hands. “Hey, I already told you it’s not that he trusts you he’s just emotionally constipated.”

“You and Sakusa said the same thing.”

“Then you should have no doubt, ‘Samu. Also, did you bring me coffee?”

Osamu decides not to push it. He snorts and lowers Suna’s hands. “No. What do you think I am, a maid?”

“Oh?” Suna wiggles his eyebrows suggestively. “That’s a nice idea.”

“Shut up,” Osamu pushes Suna’s laughing face away and stands up. “Fine, fine. I’ll get you yer dumb coffee. The usual?”

“Yeah, thank you _honey_ ,” Suna replies, saying the last word in Korean. At Osamu’s blushing cheeks, he laughs again. “You really are weak whenever I do that huh?”

“Shut it, it’s just nice ‘s all. Ya sound sweeter when ya say it,” Osamu defends and gets out of the room to avoid hearing Suna’s next retort. He pats his cheeks in an attempt to hide his cheeks. Stupid cheating Suna. Osamu was being honest; he sounds the sweetest whenever he calls Osamu the pet name in his native language. His voice lowers and his eyes soften and the brat knows it too.

Osamu makes his way to the vending machine. Next to it is a row of seats and the Crow agent from earlier slumped over on himself. Osamu remembers his first year as a Crow and feels sympathy for the poor guy. He buys Suna’s favorite coffee and another simple one for the agent. 

He gently taps the man to try to wake him up but he refuses to move. Osamu frowns and taps him more insistently to no avail. His alarm bells ring and he moves the man to find a syringe on the floor. The elevators ding as a man in scrubs enters with a hospital bed. All of Osamu’s instincts tell him to chase after him.

“ _Fuck_ ,” Osamu hisses as the doors close. 

He quickly runs to the counter and tells the nurse to alert all the guards and if possible, to please stop the exits. The nurse, seeing his panicked face, picks up the phone to relay his message. Osamu makes his way to the fire escape and goes down to the underground parking. Chances are that’s where the abductor is heading. He finds himself proven when he finds the man quickly wheeling the bed to a nearby waiting van.

Osamu looks around and resorts to breaking the emergency fire extinguisher glass to grab the heavy fire extinguisher. He takes a deep breath before throwing the fire extinguisher with all his strength. Carrying heavy sacks of rice really is useful. 

When the abductor startles, he runs and tackles him to the ground. He hears inside the van shout in alarm. Osamu knocks the abductor with a heavy strike of the heel of his palm to the man’s chin. When the driver comes to the back, Osamu knocks him out with a strong swing of the fire extinguisher. 

As Osamu ties their hands behind their backs with duct tape he found in the van, his phone rings. He places it between his ear and shoulder as he continues tightening the tape.

“Where are you?” Suna demands.

“I got a-” Osamu grunts as he tears the tape with his teeth “-rough customer in the parking lot.”

He can’t see Suna but he’s sure his brows are scrunched together. “Did you go back to the shop?”

“Nah, I have the manager cover for me. Some guy tried to abduct yer special patient.”

“What?! Are you okay? Should I call MSBY?”

A message notification makes Osamu look at his screen. What a great timing. “No, not yet. I wanna wring some info from the guy before I hand him in.”

Suna sighs down the line. “Kita-san is here, isn’t he?”  
  


“He is,” Osamu answers with a smile, “and he’s okay with lendin’ a hand.”

“Did you at least buy the coffee?”

“ _Rin_.”

“Right. Priorities, right.”

* * *

_“He thinks he’s better than any of us,” the child sneers. “Avoiding all of us because he doesn’t want germs.”_

_Sakusa Kiyoomi curls into himself against the wall, sitting on the floor. He generally dislikes having contact with something guaranteed to be dirty with how many children walk here. The floor is the lesser devil after the bully so Sakusa keeps the voices in his mind quiet._

_“What, are you not going to say anything?” The bully asks as his two sidekicks laugh. “Too great to answer me?”_

_“Leave me alone,” Sakusa mumbles._

_“What? Speak up.”_

_“Leave me alone,” Sakusa says, louder._

_The bully scoffs. “What’s with you? You and your freakiness making you act all high and mighty. Why are you acting as if you’re better than any of us? You’re just an orphan like us!”_ _  
  
_

_Sakusa decides not to answer. These bullies always say the same thing even if he tries to explain why. The reminder of being an orphan causes Sakusa’s chest to tighten; the memories from that night coming back._

_“Oh, what’s this? Are you tryin’ ta scare that poor kid like a villain?” A voice asks._

_Sakusa looks up to see a boy with gold eyes and black hair staring at them, a hand on his hip. Miya Atsumu. The child with the highest price in the facility. He’s a lone wolf like Sakusa but only because of his horrible personality._

_Great, another bully._

_“M-Miya,” the bully says in surprise, stepping back when Atsumu comes close to them. “This has nothing to do with you.”_

_Miya inclines his head, a hand on his chin. “Hm, it’s not? How come when yer blockin’ the hallway? Doesn’t that make it my business now?” He glances at Sakusa curiously. “What are ya even bullyin’ him for anyway? He doesn’t cause trouble unlike you guys.”_

_“He’s acting too high and mighty,” the bully insists. “Looking at us as if we’re dirty!”_

_“But you are?” Miya’s grin is sharp. “I mean with a personality that bad ya sure are dirty, ya know?” He laughs lightly when the bully’s face reddens. Sakusa hears it as fake. “Ah, I’m jus’ sayin’, ya should check yerself first before botherin’ anyone else. Isn’t that right?”_

_The bully looks like he wants to retort but his sidekicks tug him away. Sakusa watches Miya watch them leave, noting the satisfied smile he has. He flinches when Miya turns around to face him._

_“Ya good?”_

_Sakusa narrows his eyes. “I don’t need your pity.”_

_“Pity? That wasn’t out of pity, that was jus’ me seein’ someone who just wants to be left alone too.” He shrugs. “Ya can call it pity if ya want, I just wanted to do it, is all.”_

_He can’t help but be doubtful. “What do you mean by that?”_

_“I mean, ya just like yer space and I get that,” Miya says, playing with his fingers. “Yer not really a jerk, jus’ blunt I guess? I saw ya answer the question of that girl last time and I mean ya should’ve probably held back but yer just too honest. There’s nothin’ wrong with that and I feel that way too.”_

_“You like being alone?”_

_“I mean, I jus’ don’t like the looks of the other kids, ya know?” Miya says. “They think I have it easy since the adults like me and give me ugly looks.”_

_“Do they not treat you better than us?” Miya always seem to have special privileges like not working in the factory rooms._

_Miya snorts. “They don’t. They make me use my head ‘til it hurts so much the world spins. I wouldn’t recommend it.” He holds out a hand. “Need help gettin’ up?”_

_Sakusa eyes his hands. “Not particularly, no.”_

_“Ya were limpin’ earlier though.”_

_How did he notice? Sakusa thought he hid the pain from an accident at the factory well. “I’m not touching your hand. I don’t know where it’s from.” And he’s unknown; foreign._

_Miya hums in thought before crouching with his back to Sakusa._

_“What are you doing?”_ _  
  
_

_“Well, you wouldn’t hold my hand so it might be skin to skin contact right?” At Sakusa’s hesitant nod, he points to his back. “Then ya can use my back to lift yerself up.”_

_Sakusa eyes him, weighing the cons and pros. Miya Atsumu is notorious to be self-serving and accepting this indirect help must have a reason. He remains unmoving but Miya does not move. He patiently waits until he feels Sakusa’s hand push on his back to help himself up._

_“Why?” Sakusa asks as Miya stands up. “Why did you help me, Miya?”_

_“Well, I jus’ thought why not? I think it’ll be fun to be yer friend, Omi-kun.”_

_Sakusa grimaces. “That’s a horrible way to call me. Please call me properly, Miya.”_

_Miya forms an X with his arms. “Nope. No can do, Omi-kun. Also, call me Atsumu!”_

_Sakusa watches as Miya calls him ‘Omi-kun’ with a mischievous smile. He keeps a respectable distance from Sakusa despite his too-forward of a personality._

_What a weird person._

* * *

**[5:30 AM, Miya Atsumu’s Apartment, Tokyo, Japan]**

Sakusa opens his eyes slowly, squinting at the red digits on Atsumu’s bedside clock. 5:30. His phone lights up with a notification. Disgruntled, he lowers the brightness to zero as he reads the message. A physical evaluation later, 1PM sharp. He puts the phone down as he glances at Atsumu.

The blanket he trapped Atsumu in has loosened from last night. It covers him to his chin but his legs peek out from below. Sakusa weighs the cons and pros of tickling his feet. He decides getting kicked in the face is not a good enough reason to risk it. He had turned to Sakusa sometime last night, mouth open as he snores quietly.

Leaning his face on his hand, Sakusa observes Atsumu. He watches the blanket move in time with Atsumu’s deep breaths. Sakusa reaches out a hand to push his dyed blond hair out of his face. Atsumu twitches before settling back to sleep. He allows himself to watch Atsumu longer before sliding off the bed. 

A pack of neon colored toothbrushes are found in the lower cabinet, pushed to the back. He recognizes a box of toothpaste next to it, unused. It’s his favorite. He brushes his teeth and cleans his face with Atsumu’s face wash. In the shower he washes himself with the cherry blossom brand he made Atsumu buy before. The water is as warm as his chest.

Sakusa decides to start breakfast. He closes the door behind him carefully before making his way to the kitchen. A quick open of the fridge tells him Osamu must have taken it to himself to keep it full. The Onigiri Miya logo is almost on all the containers. There are some eggs though so he decides to make a light breakfast.

The bread is where it had always been: in the breadbox above the fridge. He beats the egg until he’s sure it will be fluffy. The butter melts on the pan as he chops some chives. He adds some tomatoes too. The bread pops up as he finishes pouring coffee to two mugs.

Sakusa sets down two plates on the kitchen table. A quick peek to the bedroom shows Atsumu still fast asleep. He decides to look around before waking Atsumu up.

The apartment is supposed to have 2 bedrooms but Atsumu decided to make the other to an office. Sakusa had helped him carry the heavy cabinets inside with the help of Osamu. Suna had been on duty. It feels just like yesterday when it happened.

The office is generally clean but it seems the years Sakusa was gone left it unattended. Or possibly Atsumu was just too busy if the numerous files are anything to go by. Sakusa takes on look at the folders and knew he made the right call. Atsumu had been working himself to the bone to solve Osamu’s case.

He flips through them and he’s impressed he managed to find audio files. Daichi must have held his word then. The files are incomplete.

Sakusa puts them down exactly as he found them. He can’t risk Atsumu knowing.

* * *

Atsumu opens his eyes slowly. He reaches out to an empty left side of the bed. Disappointment weighs him down and he closes his eyes again. The thought of _I should have known better_ annoys him.

He sits up when he hears the sound of a microwave ding.

After cleaning himself up, he peeks out of the door to see Sakusa on the kitchen table. He sheepishly seats himself down when Sakusa meets his eyes.

“Why didn’t ya wake me up, Omi-kun?” Atsumu asks as he bites into the toast. 

“If I woke you up you would have just gone back to sleep,” Sakusa says, picking up his phone. “We have a physical evaluation today. The Intelligence Division sent us new files.”

“I’ll read it later then. Finish yer food first, Omi.”

Sakusa gives him a look. “Unlike someone, I need more than a few minutes to retain information, Atsumu.”

Atsumu laughs and lets Sakusa multi-task. He snorts when the bread misses Sakusa’s mouth. He picks up his plate and nudges Sakusa’s pointedly. When Sakusa ignores him, he plucks the phone out of his hands.

“Give it back.” He shakes his head. “Atsumu.”

“You can read it later in the car, I’ll drive today.” He pockets the phone. “Hurry up, we need to check up on the kid.”

“Did Suna say he’s awake?”

“I dunno, still haven’t asked. Bring your plate here, I’ll wash them.”

Sakusa complies and stands next to him to dry them. “The soap is too harsh for your hands.”

“I always did say it was Omi-kun.”

Sakusa pauses. “You kept using them?” _Why?_

Atsumu hands him the last plate and gives him a look. “Why wouldn’t I? Put that away and let’s get dressed. Wanna borrow my clothes?”

He couldn’t believe this. Even when he left… “Yes, I would like that.”

* * *

**[?, ?, ?, ?]**

Alisa struggles against the binds. She bares her teeth at the doctor. They tied her when she saw the error of everything. The small snack she had earlier is trying to make its way out of her stomach. Everything is wrong. She was lied to.

“This wasn’t the contract,” Alisa snarls. “This isn’t just a kidnapping for ransom. What you do to those children-” The bile in her throat chokes her “-is not humane!”

The doctor laughs. “That’s big talk coming from someone in the underworld. What, you think you’re better than us?”

“You broke the contract, let me go.”

“Let you go?” The doctor sneers. “What, so you can talk to the police? Not a chance, missy. And you know what I like about the underworld? There’s no one to uphold the rules if someone breaks them.”

Alisa wishes she can reach for her dagger to stab the snark out of the man. This is wrong. Everything is wrong. She was supposed to be home by now. Oh, Lyovochka… She is so ashamed.

“You should have just shut your mouth and taken your money, Miss Haiba,” the doctor says as he grabs the door. “Isn’t that what you guys are good at?”

* * *

**[6:25 AM, Onigiri Miya, Tokyo, Japan]**

“Myaa-sam I’m here for my lunchbox! Oh, Tanaka-san hello!”

Tanaka Shimizu looks up from the counter to see Bokuto Koutarou waving from the entrance. Luckily, the store is empty so there are no disturbed patrons.

“Bokuto-san, good morning. I’ll have your lunchbox ready in a moment.”

“Okay,” Bokuto takes a seat in front of the counter. “Is Myaa-sam sick? It’s rare for him to not be here.”

“Miya-san took the day off to visit Suna-san,” Shimizu says. She goes to the kitchen to grab the lunchbox before handing it to Bokuto. “Here, he prepared it before you left.”

Bokuto frowns at the lunchbox. “But this isn’t mine?”

“Miya-san said the customer who got your lunchbox hasn’t returned it yet,” Shimizu explains. She watches as Bokuto pouts. “He’s a loyal customer so it’s guaranteed it will be returned.”

“Yeah, dude don’t get sad,” Tanaka Ryunosuke says, popping his head from the kitchen. “That guy comes in everyday for onigiri. He’s as addicted as you are.”

Bokuto gasps. “There’s someone else who likes Myaa-sam’s onigiri like me? What if he becomes Myaa-sam’s favorite customer?”  
  


“I’m pretty sure he’s already the favorite customer,” Ryunosuke comments. He receives a reprimanding smack on the shoulder from Shimizu. “Sorry, it’s the truth though.”

“Ahhh! I have to duel this man,” Bokuto declares as he stands up to leave. “I shall fight him for the title of Myaa-sam’s favorite customer!”

“Dude don’t forget your lunchbox.”

“Oh, right!”

The couple waves goodbye to the energetic man. Shimizu turns to her husband. 

“Should we have told him to wait for a bit?” Shimizu asks. “Akaashi-san did say he’ll be coming in early to pick up his food today.”

Ryunosuke shakes his head vigorously. “Nope, no. We don’t want to scare off a loyal customer. Next thing you know, Bokuto's asking Akaashi-san to an arm wrestling contest. I don’t wanna get sued.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! If you're still reading this I'm sorry there was no update last week o(TヘTo) Online classes are unfortunately unforgiving and I've cried a grand total of fifteen times over my math classes
> 
> Also, please tell me if I have to add new warnings!! And I'm sorry the pacing of the story is slow (╥﹏╥) I promise it'll pick up from now 
> 
> Have a good day and let's be friends on TWT!! [@dai_naning](https://twitter.com/dai_naning)


	11. Interlude: Osamu

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> pls tell me if i have to put warnings i genuinely don't know what warnings to put

**[3 Years Ago, 3:53 PM, Tokyo Metropolitan Hiroo Hospital, Tokyo, Japan]**

Miya Osamu’s day off is today. It’s also the day he will be going on a date with the doctor who has been patching him up for the past 8 months. Dressed in his best casual outfit, Osamu waits from the coffee shop across the hospital.

He runs through his plans again. Pick up Suna, drive to the park, and have a picnic date. He already has Suna’s favorite homemade dishes in a basket. Atsumu had made fun of him putting heart-shaped nori on the onigiri as if he doesn’t do the same for Sakusa.

Atsumu’s flooding his phone with messages, teasing him about the date. Osamu rolls his eyes at the memes and opens up his chat message with Sakusa.

M. O: Please stop him  
  


S. K: is he texting you nonstop?  
  


M. O: YES  
  


S. K: ok ill make him stop in a bit

A quick glance at the hospital shows Suna Rintarou exiting through the glass doors.

M. O: Now please

Sakusa doesn’t reply but the notifications stopped. Osamu sends him a quick text of thanks before opening his chat message with Suna.

M. O: Don’t come  
  


S. R: ??? are u canceling???  
  


M. O: No, I just want to pick you up myself  
  


S. R: is this ur attempt of being romantic lololol  
  


M. O: Yeah, why? Got any complaints?  
  


S. R: no lol  
  


S. R:  its just cute 

Osamu smiles down at his phone as he exits the coffee shop. He meets Suna’s eyes from across the street. Suna waves at him before pointing at his phone.

S. R: saw u smiling cute

With a shake of his head, he mouths “No, you”. He looks both ways before crossing the street with the other pedestrians. Osamu sees Suna stepping down the stairs, his lab coat slung over a hand. Suna turns around to wave goodbye to the security guard before turning back to him. Osamu picks up his pace and he was in the middle of the pedestrian crossing when he feels it. 

The upper right of his back explodes in pain. As he screams he sees Suna rush down the stairs, heading straight for him. The people around him run away while some brave ones crouch down near him. The security guard calls for back-up and climbs down as well.

“Hey, are you okay?” Someone asks. Osamu tries to answer but the pain makes him choke. He feels floaty and the afternoon only thing he could see is light blue. Oh, it’s the sky.

“Please, move away! Please!” It’s Suna. Osamu turns to where his voice is. Is it left? Is it right? He can’t tell. He can’t even see Suna.

“Baby, open your eyes,” Suna whispers. Why is he whispering? Osamu can’t hear him well. “We’re bringing you to the hospital, okay? Fuck, of all the places to get shot.”

“Isn’t,” Osamus’ mouth feels like lead, “this lucky I got shot in front of the hospital?”

Something wet drops on his face. “F-Fuck you. Shut up this is serious.”

“‘M sorry, Sunarin,” Osamu mumbles. “Can’t go to a date today.”

Osamu doesn’t know if Suna gives back a reply. The light blue sky turns black.

* * *

Suna Rintarou sits outside of the operation room, hands in his hair as he curls into himself. Osamu had been so pale when Suna reached him, eyes struggling to remain open. The crowd did not help and Suna is so thankful the hospital was literally in front of them. If Osamu had been kilometers away, if they really did go with Suna’s plan of meeting up in another location-

No, no. He has to stay logical. There is no use in running his mind through what-ifs. He’s a doctor. He had seen these types of injuries before back in the training ground. The soldiers were a never-ending trail of practice bodies.

Osamu’s injury had been on his back. Based on the blood, he hasn’t lost too much. His breathing was ragged but it’s to be expected considering he just got shot. The operation was done quickly on him. Osamu will be fine.

Suna takes a deep breath. _Osamu will be fine_.

“Suna?” Suna looks up to see Atsumu reaching out a hand to him. “Is ‘Samu inside?”

“Yeah, they’re operating on him.”

“Can I sit down?” At his nod, Atsumu takes a seat next to him. “So what happened?”

“I don’t know,” Suna mutters, a bit frustrated. “Osamu was walking towards me when he suddenly screamed then fell. I don’t know if he got stabbed or what. I just know he’s in the operating room now and that he’s lucky we were in front of the hospital.”

“His injury is on his back?” Atsumu asks.

Suna drags a hand over his face. “Yeah, it was on the back. Do you… do you think it’s a hate attack or something?”  
  


Silence descends on them. He sneaks a look on Atsumu and feels a shiver climb down his spine. Atsumu’s face is blank but Suna could see something brewing in his eyes. He decides to look away.

“Where’s uh, where’s Sakusa-san?” Suna asks in order to dispel the loaded quiet. The masked man is always accompanying Atsumu.

“Omi? He said he’ll drop me off first before grabbin’ a duffel bag of clothes,” Atsumu answers, absentmindedly touching the leather choker he never fails to wear. “‘Cause we rushed goin’ here after gettin’ yer text and didn’t think of anything else.”

“You’re staying here then?” Suna asks.

Atsumu looks at him, amused. “Why, Suna? Wanna keep watch over him?”

Suna has been dating Osamu for 5 months already, he shouldn’t be flustered. “I-I mean…”

Atsumu laughs and pats him on the back. “Nah, that’s cool. The clothes are mostly for ‘Samu ‘cause he always bitches about comfortable clothes.”

“Oh.”

“I’ll stay for one night though, then I’ll probably have to go back to work.”

Work… That’s right. Atsumu is also an MSBY Black Jackal agent. So is Sakusa. Suna distantly wonders if Atsumu had ever been worried if someday it would be Sakusa on the hospital bed. Maybe Sakusa had already been on one that’s why Atsumu is calmer than Suna.

“You think he’ll be okay?” Atsumu asks. 

Suna thinks carefully before replying. He knows Atsumu is asking genuinely and would trust his judgment. “Yeah, he’ll be fine.”

“Then if ya know that why ya still moping then? You’re making me feel it’s worse than what it’s supposed to be. What a drama queen.”

“Atsumu I know you’re my boyfriend’s brother but I will not hesitate to punch you.”

“Oh? Ya have a label now?”

“Shut up.”

* * *

**[3 Years Ago, 5:21 PM, Meian Shugo’s Office, MSBY Headquarters, Tokyo, Japan]**

Meian doesn’t look up from his paper. The door closes quietly as Sakusa Kiyoomi walks in, stopping before his table with a bow. He doesn’t take a seat and patiently waits for Meian to address him.

“I’m assuming you’re here for Miya Osamu’s case?” Meian asks to start the difficult conversation. 

“Yes, I’m here to request total authority over it.”

That makes Meian look up. “You want to shoulder it by yourself?”

Meian sighs when Sakusa only nods. “I know you’re an incredible agent, Sakusa, but that’s just impossible. If you’re assuming total authority that means you take full responsibility for the case. If it fails it’s on you. If you don’t gather results, your title gets revoked.”

Sakusa doesn’t falter. “I’m aware.”

“If you’re aware then you also know that familial relations prevent you from getting your request accepted. Sakusa, it’s just-”

“I don’t have a family relation to Miya Osamu,” Sakusa interrupts. “I’m completely eligible for assuming full authority over his case.”

“What? But you’re-”

“Atsumu is Osamu’s brother, not mine,” Sakusa says. “Therefore, I am completely eligible.”

Sakusa returns Meian’s incredulous stare with a passive one. Meian chuckles disbelievingly. “You’ve thought this through. Did you read the policy book?”

“The PDF version made things easier.”

“This is a serious matter, Sakusa. Are you really sure you want to do this?”

“Positive.”

He knows when to admit defeat. “Okay. Any requests?”

“Don’t let Atsumu know I took over the case. If he asks, say it’s confidential or something.”

Oh? This is interesting. “I thought you wanted to assume authority because you wanted to include Atsumu in some way. Can I ask why?”

He takes Sakusa’s silence as an answer. “Okay, I won’t pry. The authority will be processed by tomorrow. You can start on it now though.”

Sakusa bows. “Thank you, Meian-san. I’ll be taking my leave now. I hope you’ll keep your word.”

* * *

**[3 Years Ago, 6:20 PM, Tokyo Metropolitan Hiroo Hospital, Tokyo, Japan]**

Sakusa waits for Atsumu on a bench outside the hospital, the duffel bag next to him. Atsumu watches him for a bit. Sakusa changed from his sweatpants into a hoodie and jeans. He holds a cup of coffee in his hands, mask pulled down to blow on the coffee. He always did have a sensitive tongue.

As best as he could, he creeps silently behind Sakusa. Before he can surprise him, Sakusa sighs and sets his cup down.

“You know that never works,” Sakusa says flatly. Atsumu lowers his hands as Sakusa turns to look at him. “You’re too loud when you’re sneaking up on someone.”

With a huff, Atsumu sits next to Sakusa. “That’s not what my stealth report says.”

“They were just being generous.”

Atsumu gives him a look. “Yer supposed to be nice ta me, Omi. Our friendship, down the drain.”

“You’re the one who pushed your friendship to me.”

Atsumu opens his mouth to protest before deciding he’s not winning this one. He reaches between them for the other cup of coffee. “Ya got the report?”

Sakusa looks ahead to the traffic. “You’re not allowed to take on Osamu’s case.”

“Aw, Omi,” Atsumu laughs. “Don’t joke around.” At Sakusa’s blank look, he drops the smile. “Whose orders is it?”

“It’s policy: familial relations should not participate in internal affairs,” Sakusa recites. “Even Meian-san cannot change it. You should have read the handbook.”

“So, what? I’m just supposed to sit around?” Atsumu hisses. “While the suspect is runnin’ around?”

Sakusa inclines his head. “You sound confident it’s a hit.”

“You and I both _know_ it’s a hit. There’s no other reason for a ‘school librarian’ to get shot in broad daylight,” Atsumu shots back. At Sakusa’s impassive look, he says, “At least tell me the truth about that.”

“I’m not allowed to confirm.”

“That’s not a no. So it is a hit then.”

Disgruntled, Sakusa leans back on the bench. “You can’t use MSBY resources. Shirabu-san already blocked you from using the Intelligence Division. He didn’t say anything else.”

Atsumu catches on. “I haven’t visited Daichi-san for a long time. Should I?”

Sakusa pulls his mask up. “Hm. I’m due for a visit soon too. Do you want to stay here or do I drop you off at your apartment?”

“Nah, I’ll get home by myself and see Daichi-san on the way maybe? I have a lot to think about.” He accepts the duffel bag from Sakusa and sets his cup down. “These from ‘Samu’s closet?”

“Yes, I’ve been over long enough to know the difference,” Sakusa rolls his eyes. “Tell me if you want me to pick you up. Are we visiting Osamu tomorrow?”

“Yep. Suna will probably wait for him all night, better to give them some privacy.” Atsumu hums thoughtfully. “Think I should have a background check on him on the way to Daichi-san?”

“It’s your decision, though Osamu would probably not like that,” Sakusa pats him on the shoulder. “I’ll get going now. My ringer is on.”

Atsumu waves him bye. “Okay, okay. Drive safe, Omi.”

Sakusa looks back pointedly. “Don’t even try to argue with Meian-san, Atsumu. I mean it.”

Chuckling, Atsumu shoos him away. “I know, I know.”

* * *

Atsumu stands on the center of the pedestrian crossing, people passing by him. He turns around in a circle, looking up on the buildings near the hospital. A school is on the left of the hospital and industrial buildings in front of the pedestrian. There are 6 possible buildings where the sniper could have performed the hit. 

The ideal building would have to be the one that is directly in front of the pedestrian crossing. Osamu got hit in the back which means… He should find out what angle the bullet entered. That way he can narrow down the possible buildings. From there, he can try to find a way to find the CCTV footage.

The walking green man is blinking. Atsumu walks to the other side of the pedestrian crossing. He needs a cab to Daichi’s place.

* * *

**[3 Years Ago, 6:43 PM, Daichi Sawamura’s Residence, Chinoda City, Tokyo, Japan]**

“Do you want anything, Atsumu?” Daichi asks, rummaging around the kitchen. “We have tea and coffee. Suga also bought some juice yesterday if you want some.”

“Nah, I’m good Daichi-san,” Atsumu says, sitting politely in the living room. He looks at the picture frames on a tall display cabinet, eyes immediately going to one particular picture.

“Sakusa is not with you?” Daichi comes back with a tray of cookies and two glasses of orange juice. Ah, Daichi knows him well. “Tell him to visit with you next time.”

“Why are ya sayin’ it like we’re attached at the hip,” Atsumu snorts. “The guy has his own life too, y’know?”

“He does but he’s usually with you,” Daichi says wryly. “I still remember him glaring at me when I tried to take you to a different room. It’s the strongest look I’ve ever received from a child.”

Atsumu laughs.”That’s 14 years ago Daichi-san. I see yer memory’s as sharp as ever.”

“Well, it is part of my job.” Daichi seats himself on the recliner, sighing deeply. “Anything new lately?”

“Osamu’s been shot and I wanna find out who did it.”

Daichi straightens. “What? When did this happen?”

“Earlier, dunno the specific time.” Atsumu leans forward to take a cookie. “Meian-san told me I can’t handle the case ‘cause I’m family. I need another way to find the fucker who did it.”

Daichi doesn’t scold him for his language like he usually does. “I’m guessing you’re going to ask me for my services? Karasuno’s not as good as MSBY resources you know?”

“I’m sure ya know that but aren’t ya supposed to defend yer company or somethin’?”

“I am but I’m also obligated to be honest. You do know it will be difficult, right? Any case the MSBY has their hand on will be hard to poke around.”

“I’m sure ya can figure somethin’ out, Daichi-san. I believe in ya.”

Daichi shakes his head. “Flattery will get you nowhere.”

“Is that a no?”

“I never said it was.”

“Aw, I knew ya were soft!”

“How is Osamu doing?”

Atsumu fidgets. “Dunno yet. He’s still in the operating room. His boyfriend is keeping watch.”

“Oh, Osamu has a boyfriend? Do you approve of him?”

With a shrug, Atsumu says, “Well, I’m not asking you to do a background check on him. I guess that’s enough answer.”

Daichi sees right through him. “It’s because Sakusa told you not to, didn’t he? He told you Osamu would be upset if you meddle in his relationship.”

Atsumu pouts. “Yeah, that’s true but. I also trust ‘Samu’s judgment. Pretty sure he gets injured just so Suna can patch him up.”

“Ah, young love.” Daichi looks at the grandfather clock. “It’s almost dinnertime, are you eating here? Suga will be home soon.”

“Nah, I’m eatin’ with Omi-kun.” Atsumu stands up and stretches his arm above his head. “‘Cause it’s Omi’s turn to buy food, today.”

“Ah. I see. Say hello to him for me, will you? And tell him to visit soon.”

* * *

**[3 Years Ago, 7:48 PM, Warehouse 4, Minato City, Tokyo, Japan]**

“Omi-kun, where are ya?” Atsumu whines down the call. “It’s yer turn to buy food, y’know!”

“I know,” Sakusa says, wedging the phone between a shoulder and an ear, “I’ll be going home soon. Do you want anything in particular?”

“Hm, takoyaki?”

“That’s not a fulfilling meal. We can have it as a snack if you want.”

“Okay. Then, anything fried. You choose what.”

“Okay. I’ll be there in a few minutes. I just have to wrap something up. Wait for me in a bit?”

Atsumu snorts. “Ya have the food, I have no choice Omi-kun. ‘Kay, bring some soda too!”

“Will do. I’ll talk to you later.” The call ends and Sakusa pockets his phone before finally acknowledging the struggling man on the chair. “Thank you for staying silent, I appreciate it.”

The man glares at him spitefully, words unintelligible through the duct tape. “Now where were we? Oh yes, your hit earlier.”

Without prompt, Sakusa delivers a backhanded smack. The leather glove catches a bit on the man’s sjin. He has to oil them next time. “Who sent you?”

The man tries to speak so Sakusa removes the tape. He watches as the man heaves large gulps of air. “Are you really a hitman? Who sent you?”

Sakusa watches detached as the man laughs wildly. “Wouldn’t you like to know? My boss sends his regards, by the way. That this is a warning.”

“A warning? You have to be more specific. I have a lot of clients.”

“Oh, he said you’ll remember him,” the man spits out. “That you looked healthier than when you were back in the facility.”

A million thoughts rush to Sakusa’s head before he narrows it down to a select few. _Facility? Escape? Since when?_ Immediately, his sight narrows to only the man in front of.

A blink is all Sakusa allows himself to react. “You’re sent by the doctor?”

“Who else would be your childhood nightmare?”

Sakusa pulls out a gun and presses it against the man’s forehead. “That would be all I need from you. I hope you received enough money for this to be worth it.”

The man sputters and tries to move away from the gun. Sakusa follows along. “What the fuck? Aren’t you going to interrogate me or some shit? You can’t just kill me!”

The barrel of the gun digs deeper. “I’m positive I can. Would you like me to give you a preview?” He shoots somewhere behind the man before bringing the gun back. “I have no use for you.”

“Don’t you wanna know where he is? I can tell you!”

Sakusa does not waver. He clicks the safety off. The panic grows further. “Wait, wait! I met him in a bar in Ginza! Said he’ll give me money if I shoot someone for him as a warning! A man named Miya Atsumu, but not enough to kill him!”

At Sakusa’s furrowed eyebrows, he quickly adds, “He said it’s not hard and gave me the name and description. Was a bitch to track down with just that ‘cause dude doesn’t have a picture but I managed with askin’ around-”

“How much did he pay you?” Sakusa cuts him off.

“¥150,000-”

“Cash or something else?”

“Cash!”

Sakusa nods. “That’s all I need.”

The man only manages to open his mouth before Sakusa pulls the trigger. He lands on the plastic sheets Sakusa placed under the chair. Tucking the gun on his shoulder holster, he crouches down close to wrap the man in the plastic sheets. With some wires, he secures the sheets in place.

With a trolley, he pushes the man to the pier outside and dumps the body to the ocean. As he returns the trolley, a message from Atsumu comes in.

M. A: Omiiiiii hurry up :(((  
  
S. K: I know I know Im going

M. A: Mkay :D

Sakusa sighs as he closes the warehouse doors. He hopes the traffic is light enough that Atsumu won’t suspect him. He should change beforehand. His suit also smells like blood.

* * *

**[3 Years Ago, 8:37 PM, Miya Twins’ Shared Apartment, Tokyo, Japan]**

Sakusa opens the door with his copy of the key, balancing several bags of food. He exchanges his shoes for his home slippers at the genkan before entering the apartment.

“Atsumu, I’m here.”

Atsumu pops his head from the kitchen. “Oh, Omi. What did ya buy?”

Setting the bags on the dining table, Sakusa takes a bucket of chicken out. “Your favorite unhealthy pastime.”

Atsumu snorts as he places two plates on the placemats Sakusa bought for them. “Why are ya makin’ it sound like I snack on it? And don’t pretend ya also do it, Omi.”

Sakusa goes to the kitchen to wash his hands. “I don’t snack on it as much as you do. If I did, Taketora-san would have my head. I also bought takoyaki if you want.”

“Ya know I never say no to food, Omi!”

They settle down to eat before murmuring their thanks. Sakusa eats slowly, delicately biting down on the meat and setting it down to wipe at his mouth when oil dribbles out. Meanwhile, Atsumu gobbles down on the chicken and washes it down with soda. If Osamu was here, he would be commenting about the contrast of the pig and the proper human.

“How is Osamu?” Sakusa asks after finishing his portion.

Atsumu chews first before speaking, “He’s good now. Suna says we can’t visit him tomorrow yet though.”

“He’s still not conscious?”

“Yeah, ‘cause ya know. It’s a gunshot wound on the back but Suna says it missed any vital spots. Kinda weird.”

So it really was a warning shot.

“I see. How is Suna-san holding up?”

“He’s okay, kinda shaken. He said he’s going to the hospital first thing in the morning. I guess he’s really serious about ‘Samu.”

“Well, they have been dating for months, Atsumu,” Sakusa points out.

“I know that but-” Atsumu grimaces “-ya know with the whole bein’ an agent thing. Like, will it last with how ‘Samu needs to hide a large part of himself from Suna? You know, with the whole being agent thing.”

Sakusa observes how Atsumu fidgets. He leans back on the chair. “You’re going to say something to Osamu that will make him mad, aren’t you?”

Atsumu looks down on his chicken, face grim. “I’ve been thinkin’ it for a long time but this just… It just tells me I was right from the get-go Omi.”

This is between the twins and if Atsumu has already made his mind there is nothing Sakusa could do. He starts tidying up. “What do you want to do tonight?”

“Anime marathon in bed?” At Sakusa’s unimpressed look, he relents, “Anime marathon on the couch?”

Sakusa jerks his head to the TV. “Set it up.”

They do not speak while watching an entire season of an anime they already watched before. Sakusa because he’s waiting for Atsumu and Atsumu because he’s probably thinking about what he’ll be saying to Osamu. When the opening theme song switches to the second season, Atsumu leans on Sakusa’s shoulder.

Sakusa interlaces their hands. Quietly, he asks, “What are you thinking?”

“I wanna be the one who hunts down the guy.” Atsumu squeezes Sakusa’s hand. “Wanna tell him what a fucking mistake it was.”

With a sigh, Sakusa wraps the blanket around Atsumu’s shoulders. “I know, Atsumu. I know. At least it’s being handled by MSBY, you know it’ll be resolved properly.”

Atsumu buries his face to Sakusa’s neck and takes a deep breath. “I know, I know. I’m just- I’m just so scared, Omi. I know ‘Samu gets hurt, he’s not a baby and it’s in our job, but it’s a different story when it’s deliberate. Wanna make it clear no one gets to do that to him.”

Sakusa presses a soft kiss to Atsumu’s forehead. “I know. Wanna sleep now? It’s almost 10 PM. And you’re going to have a hard time sleeping if you overthink.”

“Carry me to the bed?”

“Take a bath first. I’m not letting you sleep with all that sweat.”

“Carry me to the bath instead?”  
  


Sakusa’s reply is to push him away.

* * *

**[3 Years Ago, 8:54 PM, Tokyo Metropolitan Hiroo Hospital, Tokyo, Japan]** **  
  
**

Miya Osamu wakes up 2 days later. A nurse was checking his vitals when he muttered a curse. The nurse quickly alerts the doctor who checks up on him and after Osamu’s sluggish attempt of a request, lets him accept visitors for a short time.

Suna immediately comes to his room and wacks him on the leg. A good decision because Osamu’s upper body feels like a heavy weight making him want to fold on himself. He manages to lift a hand before promptly passing out on Suna’s teary “You fucking idiot”.

Later, he manages to stay conscious long enough to listen to Suna’s angry speech of _never do that again, you dumbass_ and _Atsumu will kick your ass for me because I’m not strong enough to do that_. Osamu rolls his eyes and holds out a hand so he can grip Suna’s hand in assurance. 

“Atsumu says he’s visiting you later, he’s been busy lately,” Suna says. ‘So is Sakusa-san. Oh, and a man named Kita Shinsuke somehow got my number and told me he’ll be coming. Should I be worried?”

“Nah, that’s Kita-san,” Osamu pats Suna’s hand. “He’s my adoptive older brother. He’s cool, don’t worry.”

“Is he going to be passive-aggressive like Atsumu?” Suna asks dryly.

“Kita-san’s style is more direct like Sakusa but… colder? I don’t know what to tell ya other than that.”

“That’s not concerning at all. You’re lucky I’m an orphan and you don’t need to deal with this on my side.”

Osamu chokes on his laugh. “That’s- Fuck you Rin, what the hell.”

“Nice, dark humor. You’ll get along with our family nicely, Suna,” Atsumu says from the doorway, amused. “And I’m cashing in on my visit time now if ya don’t mind.”

Suna tightens his hold before letting go of Osamu’s hand. “I do mind, actually. But sure, go on ahead. I’ll be outside.”

Atsumu takes the seat Suna vacated and sets down a fruit basket on the table next to the hospital bed. Suna leaves after closing the door. “‘Sup, ‘Sumu. Ya good?”

“As good as getting shot, ya asshole,” Osamu throws the fruit basket a look, “Since when did you learn proper manners?”

Atsumu scowls. “Omi made me give it to ya.”

“I knew it. Sakusa’s the only one with proper manners between you.”

“Shut up.”

They bicker more as Atsumu cuts an apple to bunny slices, placing them on a bowl. He slides the wheeled table over the bed and sets the bowl down. Osamu looks at them for a moment before giving Atsumu a look.

“Unless ya want to feed me by hand I can’t eat this, dumb ‘Tsumu.”

“Is that really what ya say to someone who took the time and effort to cut an apple for ya?”

Osamu leans back on the propped pillows. “What do ya really wanna say. Yer fidgeting a lot just spit it out.”

Atsumu reaches inside his suit and takes out a piece of paper. Straightening it out, he moves the bowl so the paper is in the center of the table. Osamu squints down at it. It’s a resignation letter.

Taking a deep sigh, Osamu resists throttling Atsumu. “What kind of joke is this?”

“It’s not a joke, I want you to resign. I already filled it out for ya, you just need to sign it.”

Osamu tells himself it’s childish to crumple the paper. “What the fuck are ya talking about?” Atsumu stays silent. “ _Atsumu._ ”

“Someone put on a hit on ya,” Atsumu mumbles, “and I won’t let ya continue on bein’ an agent if this shit will happen, ‘Sumu.”

“This is part of the job-”

“Gettin’ shot because someone wants you dead outside of a case is not part of the job,” Atsumu hisses and Osamu clenches his hands to stop himself from throwing hands. “We talked about this. If ya even have any fuckin’ chance of dyin’ because of being an agent yer out. No questions asked.”

“That was when I was younger, I’m an _adult_ -”

“Ya can still die as an adult, more than before ‘cause of the number of cases ya did!”  
  


“And what about ya? If bein’ an agent is so dangerous then why aren’t ya quittin’ too?” Osamu fires back. “Cut the shit, ‘Tsumu. If I’m out yer out too!”

Atsumu’s eyes darken. “This ain’t about me. Think about Suna too, ya dumbass. Ya want him to wake up to news of yer guts out of yer body next time? Ya can do what ya finally want. Go to school, finish yer studies, be an upright citizen-”

“I want to be an agent!” Osamu insists. ‘This is what I want! Quit it, ‘Tsumu. I’m not resigning no matter what. And if we’re talking about it, what about ya? What about Sakusa? If there’s the danger of Rin findin’ out about me dyin’ one day while on the field isn’t it the same for Sakusa?”

“Sakusa’s my partner, he's always by my side.”

Osamu knows. It’s one of the reasons for his unfounded jealousy towards Sakusa. “Then be my partner if yer that concerned!”  
  


“What the fuck are ya talkin’ about? That’s just- Why are ya cryin’?”

He hadn’t even realized tears ran down his face. He clenches his shaking hands under the covers. “Shut up, shut up. I’m not lettin’ ya get out of my sights again, ‘Tsumu. ‘M not lettin’ ya fucking run around again without me knowing anything!”

His statement takes Atsumu aback. “What are you talking about...?”

Osamu grits through his tears, “I’m so, so fuckin’ scared of not knowin’ anythin’ about ya. I know it’s ‘cause ya were gone, I know that but even when ya went back I still felt like I didn’t really know you. Ya changed a lot and I couldn’t keep up with ya. Ya were always rushin’ forward towards somethin’ I don’t know, always hidin’ somethin’ from me about what happened to ya. And I know I shouldn’t demand ‘cause it’s yer shit but-” He chokes when his voice cracks “-but ‘Tsumu did ya ever wonder what I felt when ya were gone? When I couldn’t find ya for years?”

“I was scared ‘cause it was just us alone after dad and mom left us,” Osamu wipes his tears away angrily, “and yer the closest person to me. When ya came back I thought that we could put it all back but ya were too different. And ya never relied on me but on Sakusa. It’s so stupid but I got jealous of the guy ‘cause you trust him so much you look like a total fucking idiot.”

Osamu knows it’s irrational to be jealous of the man who is probably the reason why Atsumu returned. Atsumu would hide away to call Sakusa who was in Tokyo and it felt like Sakusa was a million steps closer to his own brother. It might have been because Osamu had been in denial with what happened and with the belief that if somehow, Atsumu comes back, everything will be back to what it was supposed to be.

He had chased after both of them, too lost in their own world. Osamu felt like he was by himself even if he knew they did not mean for it to happen.

“I tried so hard to chase after you guys,” Osamu whispers, defeated. “And if I don’t stay with you two… I’m scared I’ll be really alone.”

Atsumu grabs him by the front of his shirt. He looks furious. “You- Don’t tell me the only reason why you joined MSBY was because of this?”

With a guilty nod, Osamu says, “I was so scared I’ll be left behind.”

At Atsumu’s silence, Osamu looks up to see devastation in his twin’s face. His lips are wobbling and fury makes his grip on Osamu’s shirt tighter. 

“You’re a dumbass,” Atsumu grits. “You’re a fucking dumbass!”

“Why the fuck would you put all your dreams away to chase me? You should’ve gone to school and taken your degree! You could’ve had a store already but instead yer in the hospital ‘cause someone placed a hit on yer dumb ass! Ya don’t need to chase me ‘cause I would be meetin’ ya halfway! You’re an idiot but you’re my dumbass brother. I won’t leave ya behind ya dumb ass!”

Osamu fuels on the agitation and grips Atsumu’s shirt in retaliation. “Shut up, I know that now! And I know it’s dumb to be jealous of Sakusa, damn it!”

“Of course it’s dumb, stupid ‘Sumu! Yer my brother, not him!”

“I can see that now! Shut up, I’m tellin’ ya I get it!” Osamu grins fiercely, sitting up to meet Atsumu’s glare. “When you reach 80 years old and have that confidence to say that you are happier than me then that time make fun of me!”

“That’s great. When you are dead I’ll tell you ‘See, I was happier than you’!”

* * *

Suna Rintarou sits outside of the room, wondering to himself what is happening inside. The coffee he bought for the three of them is now cold on the seat next to him.

“They’ll be fine,” someone says, making Suna look up. A man in a sweater with gold eyes and grey-white hair gives him a genial smile. Next to him stands another tall man, waving at him. “The twins have their own weird forgiving thing.”

The accent… “Do you know them?”

Kita Shinsuke smiles at him. “Of course. I watched them grow up, after all.”

* * *

MSBY Agent Department

Agent Profile

Name: Miya Osamu

Rank: Eagle

DOB: 5/9/1995

Combat Performance: 4.7/5

Firearm Performance: 4.3/5

Occupation: Field Agent

Place of Operation: Japan

Partner: N/A

Notes: Resignation Notice in process.

* * *

**[3 Years Ago, 9:30 PM, Daichi Sawamura’s Residence, Chinoda City, Tokyo, Japan]**

“When I said Atsumu to tell you to visit me, I didn’t mean like this,” Daichi says tiredly, watching Sakusa pour him tea. “I want you two to visit me more and now you’re here telling me you’re leaving? For how long Sakusa?”

Sakusa sets the teapot down. “I’m not sure. Now that I know it’s Atsumu they’re after it changes everything.”

“You’re not taking Atsumu with you,” Daichi says, “and you’re asking me to prevent him from pursuing Osamu’s case.”

“Atsumu will not stop until he finds the root of the problem, Daichi-san. They’re after him and if he’s with me,” Sakusa looks away, “it’ll be easier for them to get him.”

“If you’re so concerned about his safety then why are you leaving him alone?”

“Osamu will be his partner instead, I’m sure it can be arranged,” Sakusa answers, sipping his tea. “And this isn’t a normal case. The facility is after Atsumu.”

Daichi sets his cup down; a warning. “Sakusa.”

“You remember my promise right, Daichi-san?” Sakusa asks, finishing his tea. “I told you I will protect Atsumu as he did to me. I’m returning the favor, that is all.”

“He’s going to get mad at you for keeping it from him when you tell him the truth.”

“I won’t tell him, not if I can help it.” Sakusa’s voice is resolute. He stares at a picture on the tall cabinet display. The picture of him and Atsumu the day before they separated from the orphanage. “Atsumu does not need memories of that place or of anyone who has hurt him. This is my resolve, please assist me with it.”

Daichi follows his gaze, eyes softening on the scene. “You already know my answer, Sakusa. There is no need to ask.”

Sakusa sighs softly, relieved. “Thank you, Daichi-san.”

Daichi pours him another cup of tea. “Have some more, Sakusa. Drink for the visits you will not make in the next years.”

Sakusa complies and drinks, finishing the entire teapot with Daichi.

* * *

MSBY Agent Department

Agent Profile

Name: Sakusa Kiyoomi

Rank: Eagle

DOB: 20/3/1996

Combat Performance: 4.7/5

Firearm Performance: 4.5

Occupation: Field Agent (I/L)

Place of Operation: International

Partner: N/A

Notes: Complete authority over Case #M19O4. Agent information restricted from [REDACTED].

* * *

**[3 Years Ago, 11:43 PM, Haneda International Airport, Tokyo, Japan]**

Meian’s phone goes off from numerous notifications. He doesn’t have to peek to know who it is from. Meian sits next to Sakusa on the plastic airport chairs, looking out through the wide ceiling to floor windows. The airport staff are milling down near the planes, most likely doing maintenance. 

Sakusa has a suitcase next to him. His face mask hides his expression but Meian guesses even without it he would don a blank face. Saksua has only been capable of emotion next to Atsumu during work hours.

The buzzing on his pocket makes Meian ask, “Are you sure about this? Last chance to back out, Sakusa.”

An announcement rings through the airport. It’s Sakusa’s flight.

“I’m sure.” Sakusa stands and makes his way to his designated gate. He turns back to bow respectfully at Meian. “Thank you for letting me have this selfish request, Meian-san.”

The buzzing continues. Atsumu really is persistent. “Make sure it’s worth it, Sakusa.”

Sakusa straightens, hand on the suitcase. “Atsumu is always worth it.”

* * *

MSBY Agent Department  
  


SUBJECT: Notice of Change of Partner Status

Dear MSBY Black Jackal Agent Miya Atsumu,

MSBY Black Jackal Sakusa Kiyoomi has requested a change of partnership status from ‘Miya Atsumu’ to ‘N/A’. No further details are to be shared. Further inquiry will not be entertained.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is dedicated to [Itz_Icyhot](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Itz_Icyhot)-san because I'm pretty sure you're the only one who reads this lol. 
> 
> Also, this is the longest chapter in this fic. Idk what to feel about that lmao.
> 
> Anyway, I hope you liked this 'cause I was thinking like what if it was Osamu who was jealous of Sakusa and Atsumu? Like, sure he had Kita-san and granny and the Inarizaki basically but he doesn't have his family family, y'know? And he thought if Atsumu comes back, because they were always together before they were separated, then he won't feel so lonely anymore. But Sakusa was there and instead of Osamu it was Sakusa who Atsumu trusts more. 
> 
> So now in this fic Osamu and Sakusa has a mini rivalry lololol
> 
> If you have TWT let's be MOOTS!! (ɔˆз(ˆ⌣ˆc) My @ is **[@dai_naning](@dai_naning)**!!


	12. Preparation

**[7:08 AM, Washijo Tanji’s Residence, Azabu, Minato City, Tokyo, Japan]**

Fumi taps her pointer finger on the door armrest, using the view outside the car as a distraction not to take out her cigarettes. The person she will be meeting today hates anything improper. It might be because he is an old man stuck in old traditions or it might be because improper businesses almost ruined his reputation with no chance of recovery.

The business world is not limited to numbers, money, and social connections. Sure, the three factors are the core but the subsections of the framework of a wealthy conglomerate are also vital. Without the subsections, the cores will collapse with the lack of support. Hinata Yoko might be a mastermind but there is no denying that Hinata Kanemi is an even bigger mastermind than the former Hinata lady of the house.

If it hadn’t been for Yoko’s notes, Fumi would not have known of the reason for the Shiratorizawa subservience to the Hinata Conglomerate. With how thorough it has been, it’s a wonder how the old Washijo even has any dignity left.

The subsections of a wealthy conglomerate are family, records, and social reception. A tainted family name might as well be a virus in how much destruction it can cause. Infidelity, drug abuse, a bastard child... anything else that should be hidden behind closed doors are chinks in an armor. Fumi has no slightest clue how but Kanemi found the illegitimacy of Shiratorizawa’s current heir: Ushijima Wakatoshi.

Ushijima Wakatoshi, a year older than Akaashi and Kenma. He graduated from a prestigious school overseas with a major in business and commerce with honors, has an admirable work ethic, and though his social skills need a few tweaks he’s basically a perfect candidate for inheriting the control helm of the whole conglomerate. But the board is full of vicious members who would take any chance they can to take the control for themselves. One of the rules they had kept was that only a true Ushijima heir would inherit the conglomerate.

One wrong slip and the Ushijima family will lose control over the company. The Washijo family had married into the Ushijima Family in a political marriage. They would lose face because of a bastard child. Washijo Tanji had to admit defeat. No wonder Hinata Kanemi has him in a tight grip.

“We have arrived, Hinata-san,” her chaffeur announces. Fumi gathers her handbag as the chauffeur opens the door for her. Steeling herself, she looks up to the building in front of her.

After the main house was burned, the Washijo-Ushijima family head retreated to a four-story modern house in an Azuba neighborhood. A big downgrade (or upgrade) from the house that seemed to be a carbon copy of the Tsunamachi Mitsui Club. Fumi wonders if the modern house is a cage symbolizing his defeat. The fire seemed too delicate after all.

The cream-colored double doors opened and an attendant bows to her in greeting. “Hinata-san, welcome. Washijo-sama will be meeting you in the tea room. Do you have anything you want us to hold on for you?”

Fumi shakes her head. “No, thank you. Lead the way for me.”

A glass elevator to their right takes them to the third floor. Apparently, the fourth floor is an open roof garden. Washijo has healthy past times it seems.

The tea room is a spacious well-lit from the ceiling-to-floor glass windows that let the sunshine filter in. The long, heavy drapes are pushed to the side with a wireless remote. A glass table with two matching chairs is set up near the windows. A vintage gramophone sits on top of an oak cabinet below floating shelves containing a priceless vinyl collection.

Washijo Tanji waits for her on the table, looking out to the peaceful neighborhood. Fumi seats herself across him, crossing her ankles. The attendant retrieves a small stool where she can rest her handbag. A second attendant comes through the doors wheeling in a trolley containing a vintage European tea set and apple scones on delicate china plates.

After serving them, the two attendants leave with a bow and close the doors. Fumi waits until Washijo turns to address her. The old man observes her in silence and Fumi notes his dark kimono is a stark contrast to the almost clinical whiteness of the house.

“You have been making rounds with the other members of the board,” Washijo finally says. “I figured you would have eventually made your way to meet me. Did you save me for the last?”

“The invitations for a chat over tea were sent at the same time,” Fumi answers, rehearsed. “It was only a matter of schedule management.”

“By your secretary, I presume? It was a surprise to hear an Akaashi son to merely work as a secretary though I have a feeling he’s doing better than his siblings,” he says this with concealed distaste. Ah, Akaashi’s sister. Her scandal with drunk driving; it was already buried and dealt with. 

Washijo has great connections in the law department it seems.

“Yes, he is doing exemplary work,” Fumi says. “In the years he has worked for me, I had no causes for complaints in his work ethic.”

“That’s great, work ethic is the backbone of a man in a suit. Especially if they wish not to be buried beneath paperwork.”

Fumi lets herself chuckle. “Yes, the burden of paperwork is amazing. It can crush a person’s lungs even without coming near it. Is Ushijima Wakatoshi doing alright with his work?”

“Yes, the board members only speak of praises in relation to his work in the company.” Washijo sets his teacup down. “Speaking of board members, the monthly meeting is next week isn’t it?”

Washijo took the initiative. This might be promising. “Yes, the board members have confirmed their attendance in advance. Should we expect the same from you?”

“Depends on what you have for me,” Washijo says. “The meetings are bothersome to go to when we all know there are really no changes in the company. Unless, there is anything else that can pique my interest. For instance, a missing child in relation to the company. That would cause quite a mess.”

Fumi picks up her teacup as gracefully as she could. “Oh, and when have you thought of such an instance?”

“Mouths may be shut with money but it is paper in the end,” Washijo says in reply. “It can be drenched in blood or ripped by force to deem it useless.”

How violent. “Is that so? What about loyalty?”

“Is there such a thing in today’s world?”   
  


“How pessimistic of you, Washijo-san.”

“Is it really pessimism when it is apparent in everyday life?” Washijo counters. “Even the streets of this neighborhood were not paved with gentle hands. It was formed with force.”

“What will it take for the one guarded mouth to be shut for good?” Fumi asks. “Money, force, or an oath of loyalty?”

“A favor for a favor.”

“And what may this favor be?”

“An assurance of a safe house in case of the fallout,” Washijo says. “An assurance that the dragon’s claws will be severed if the knights do continue their internal attack. And an assurance that the tainted child will be kept safe in the ensuing mess.”

“I’ve never thought of you as compassionate for the child, Washijo-san,” if I know any better, you are actually concerned for them when you were the child’s greatest critic.” Ushijima Wakatoshi’s hard work for the approval of the head of the Washijo-Ushijima family is no secret. Fumi feels a little bad for the guy.

Washijo becomes silent. Fumi finishes her tea slowly and observes the tea leaves on the bottom of her teacup. She never was interested in tea leaf readings but she wonders what they say now. Will it be of good fortune or will the trapped eagle go back to the dragon’s side?

“My daughter had a rational head for as long as I have raised her,” Washijo says, dropping all pretense. “She was a smart woman like her mother and was loyal to her familial duty. I have always wondered if because of how we pushed her for the arranged marriage she decided to act out. When Wakatoshi was born, I wanted nothing to do with him. He was a sign of my failure as a parent.”

“My daughter died due to depression,” Washijo continues, looking at the family portrait behind Fumi. “She could not take the fact that I rejected her son. She thought of herself as a failure to us. My wife did not say it but I knew she blamed me for her death. I met Wakatoshi in the funeral, he was such a young boy but already looked dependable. He was the only child of my daughter as she cannot conceive due to stress. It was decided Wakatoshi will be the heir despite his illegitimacy. There are no other heirs.”

“And Hinata Kanemi found out about it,” Fumi supplies, “so you had to choose between giving up the Washijo-Ushijima control completely or serve Hinata Kanemi to retain a bit of control in the company.”

“You did your research,” Washijo says, smiling grimly. “I’m glad I don’t have to go through the whole trip down memory lane all over again.”

“So, then? You want revenge on the old hag?”

“I want the threat on Wakatoshi’s inheritance eliminated,” Washijo answers graciously. “That is all. Can you deliver?”

Fumi sets her teacup down. “You want her head on a silver platter as a souvenir?”

Washijo laughs. “You can keep it for yourself. After all, a knight must keep the trophies of a hunt themselves. Ah, as a treat I’ll tell you of another matter. It’s about the upcoming party I have no desire to attend. Would you like to take my invite instead?”

* * *

**[8:40 AM, Unnamed Warehouse, Kanagawa, Tokyo, Japan]**   
  


Suna forgot how brutal the underground world could be. A simple, abandoned warehouse can have a lot going on inside. He hopes the money the abductors got is worth it for going through Kita Shinsuke’s own brand of questioning.

Maybe it’s because of the tranquility and simpleness he makes other people perceive him but there’s something about Kita’s golden eyes staring down his prey that makes people squirm. He stares blankly, unwavering even as he brings the hammer down a person’s kneecap as a warning. Aran waits for any commands next to the other bound abductor. Kita prefers to do everything by himself. Says it’s comforting as a routine.

Suna wonders if he was fated to end up in fucked up but functioning family dynamics.

The man screams as Kita taps the broken knee once, twice to test his pain threshold. Without warning, he slams the hammer down on the area above it. The man chokes out a howl as the second abductor stares wide-eyed, struggling against his bonds and gag on the floor. Aran nudges him to make him stay still when he tries to look away.

“What’s your name?” Kita asks, voice somehow heard over the man’s screams. “Do you know your name?”

“A-Amano-”

Kita digs the hammer’s claw on the broken skin. “No, I think you heard me wrong. What’s your name?”

“I’m telling you!” The man, Amano weeps. “My name is- FUCK!”   
  


Kita had flipped his hold on the hammer and brought the hammer down again. Suna wonders if there is ever a chance for it to be healed. “No, what’s your name? Do you want me to tell you your name?”

When the man continues to cry, Kita digs the claw again on the skin until he sputters out an answer. “You should answer when you’re addressed. It’s rude to keep someone waiting. Do you want me to tell you your name?”

“Y-yes, please t-tell me my name-”

“You have none,” Kita interrupts, lifting his chin with the clawed end. He stares down the man’s wide eyes calmly. “You have no name because you are not worthy of a name. You’re too useless by getting yourself caught. Nobody will take you and give you a name.”

“I-I have a name-”

“You have none,” Kita insists, voice matter-of-fact, “and if you have one, it’s no use. As of now, you are reduced to a whimpering man by a small hammer.” His voice turns almost soft, “You have no name, right? You do know this since you decided to be part of the filth of this city. You have known for a long time, right?”

“I-I have a name-” The man is hesitant now. Suna watches as he whimpers through his tears. “I-I have a name-”

Kita clicks his tongue and turns the man’s head to the other abductor. “Look at him, he was with you wasn’t he? Does he know your name?”

“No…”

“Exactly, because you have no name.” Kita turns his head back to make the man look at him. “You have no name because you are not worthy of a name. If I call anyone you want me to call right now, they will not be able to tell me your name. Why? Because you have none. No one wants to name something they see no use for.”

Well, that’s fucked up.

“Do you want me to give you a name?” Kita asks. “Do you want me to give you a chance of being worthy of a name?”

The man on the floor struggles more as the one on the floor nods, transfixed. Kita whispers something to him and he nods more vigorously. Kita awards him a small smile and for a second he looks warm. 

“Can you tell me whatever I want?” Kita asks in a murmur. “If you do, I might give you a name.”

Like magic, the man blurts out everything. He mumbles it to Kita and is spurred on by the pats Kita gives him on the head. When he finishes, he looks up eagerly at Kita who gives him a small smile.

In a blink of an eye, Kita had the man dead with a bullet to the forehead. He nods to Aran who does the same to the other abductor. 

“What about clean-up?” Suna asks.

“The other groups provided assistance, a cleaner will come when arranged,” Kita says, accepting a cleaning wipe from Aran. 

“I’m surprised you didn’t do your usual routine.”

“My usual?”

“You know,” Suna gestures vaguely, “the whole physical torture thingy.”

“Oh.” Kita balls up the used wipe and throws it in a nearby trash can. He never noticed that was there. “That would have been easier but Osamu also takes too long in choosing food choices. If I finished too early, we would be stuck in an awkward chat for hours.”

“So that’s why you instead decided to take an hour in psychologically breaking down a person?” Suna asks dryly.

Kita raises a brow. “Would you rather I ask your plans of proposal to my adopted brother?”   
  


“Oh God,” Suna shivers. “God, no. Please, I had to endure sneaky texts from Atsumu already. Please don’t add to my suffering.”

Aran walks up to them as they exit the warehouse and closes the heavy doors. “Well, when are you planning to propose, Suna-kun?”

“Dunno yet,” Suna sticks his hands down his pants pocket. “I told Atsumu I’ll wait for him to have a heart-to-heart with Osamu before I do anything.”

“That’s considerate of you,” Kita comments.

“Any particular reason why?” Aran asks as they decide to pick up Osamu. After a quick text to Terushima about the need for cleaners, Kita unlocks the car with the key fob.

Suna sighs at the cool air inside the car. “Well, you know. Osamu might not say it but he’s still bothered with not knowing what really happened to Atsumu. And Atsumu always feels guilty about it so might as well guilt him into closure. I’m pretty sure he’s ready but he just always puts it off because he’s a lazy ass. There’s no special meaning, I just want them to get something so overdue with.”

“I should have expected that,” Aran says wryly. He reminds the others to buckle their seatbelts before starting the car. “Do you think Osamu decided on a restaurant to eat yet?”

Suna checks his phone. “Mhm. I think by the time we arrive he’ll have his choices narrowed to three.”

“He always did take a long time to decide,” Kita chuckles. He takes out his handgun to clean it. “When he was younger we thought he was a picky eater when we first took him to a mall but he really just couldn’t decide where to eat. In the end we decided by flipping a coin.”

“Why did we make him choose again?” Aran asks. 

Suna sighs. “To quote him, ‘chef rights’.”

“What about Atsumu? Is he doing okay?” Kita asks, looking at Suna through the rear-view mirror. “Ever since he became an agent he had little time to keep us up to date. Especially with Sakusa’s sudden return...”

“Well, when I saw the both of them yesterday they were okay. So okay it almost seemed as if Sakusa never left. Though, I’m not sure if it’s because they’re both actively ignoring the issue or they actually talked it out.”

Kita thinks about it for a second. “The latter seems impossible. There’s a small chance of them actually talking it out.”

Suna nods. “Right? I thought so, too.”

“The two of you have no trust in the both of them,” Aran complains. “I’m sure they have a plan in talking about it. Maybe they’re just busy!”

“Atsumu and Osamu are twins,” Suna points out. “If Osamu’s emotionally constipated genetically Atsumu is most likely also emotionally constipated. And I don’t know Sakusa that well and even though he’s the blunt type of guy I’m pretty sure when it comes to emotional stuff he’s also constipated.”

“Just how many times are you going to say the word constipated?”

“But the thing that guy said,” Suna says, suddenly serious. “What are you going to do about it?”

Kita looks forward. “As much as I hate to admit it, we will need to cross paths with the agents. I generally dislike taking even a risk with the right side of the law but. I have my duties as a kumicho to fulfill and this is personal for Osamu.”

“Are you not going to interfere with Osamu’s own investigation?”

“As much as I would like to offer my assistance, I’m sure he would rather deal it with himself. I will tell him of what I learned and it will be up to him if he will act on it.” Kita turns his gun this and that way before tucking away. “Though I will stop him before he delves too deep in the underworld. All my work of steering him away from it will be all for naught otherwise.”

Suna smiles, amused. “If I didn’t know any better, I would think the trait of protectiveness runs in the family.”

Aran laughs as Kita smiles, genuinely. “I’m glad to hear that.”   
  


* * *

**[9:24 AM, Meguro Hospital, Meguro City, Tokyo, Japan]**

“What?” Atsumu stares at the report the Crow agent gives him. “Someone tried to abduct the kid?”   
  


“Yes, it was around 3 AM if the witness accounts are to be believed.” The crow bows down at a strict 90-degree angle. “We truly apologize for this, Miya-san. Our incompetency had caused you trouble.”

Atsumu waves his concern away, still reading the report. “Who’s the witness? Did ya make them sign a nondisclosure agreement?”

“There was no need. They know the protocol.”

“Oh, it’s a former agent? Who is it?”

The Crow agent hesitates. “It’s your brother, sir. The witness is Miya Osamu.” He resists fidgeting under the intense stare of the Black Jackal agent. “He um, he was the one who apprehended the abductor.”

The bastard. “Okay, okay. I’ll talk to him about it. For now, increase the security on the kid until he wakes up. When he does I want ya to tell me and Omi-kun first, okay? Yer free to go kid.”   
  


The Crow agent leaves after a bow and Atsumu sighs as he takes out his phone. Osamu’s getting his ass beat if he doesn’t tell Atsumu what the hell he did. Atsumu made him retire for a reason.

“I just checked with the nurse, the kid’s still not awake,” Sakusa says, walking out of the patient’s room. “His vitals are steady though so he might wake up in a day or two.”

“Where’s Suna? Is he not here?”

“No, he clocked off around 3 AM. Apparently, he left with Osamu.”

Atsumu groans. “Those two are so stupid. Why are they meddlin’ in on a case and keeping their mouth shut about it?”

Sakusa inclines his head. “Osamu knows about the patient?”

“He does now,” Atsumu snorts, “after he fuckin’ stopped the abductor from escapin’.”

“Where is the abductor now?”

“Isn’t that the question, Omi,” Atsumu remarks sourly. “He told the Crow to tell me to meet him in person. Kita-san’s in town so he’ll tell me about it after dinner. Weird thing is he made me tell ya you need to go, too.”

Sakusa stiffens. “Is there a particular reason why?”

“Dunno, he didn’t say why,” Atsumu shrugs and pockets his phone. “Wanna check the surveillance cameras with me? I’ll let Nishinoya-kun know we’ll have the physical evaluation earlier instead. We can’t rush goin’ to the dinner when it’s Kita-san.”

“Do I really have to go? Won’t I be intruding?”

Atsumu checks his phone again. “Oh, it’s ‘cause Suna’s comin’ too. Osamu probably doesn’t want Kita-san to drill Suna too much.”

“So I’m the buffer,” Sakusa says dryly. “Glad to be of service.”

Atsumu snorts. “Yeah, I’ll tell him what ya said. But I think it’s ‘cause Kita-san also wanna meet ya too, y’know? He always did like ya. ‘Cause it’s been, uh, years since you met…”

Sakusa ignores how Atsumu becomes awkward. “I do have some souvenirs I need to give to Kita-san. I suppose I can bring them over.”

“What? How come ya never gave me souvenirs!” Atsumu asks, indignant. He elbows Sakusa hard on the side. “The hell, Omi?”   
  


“You have yours too but Kita-san’s souvenirs are easier to give,” Sakusa says. “I should bring Osamu and Suna-san’s souvenirs as well. Oh, and Aran-san’s.”

“Okay, yer just tryin’ to annoy me,” Atsumu growls. “What, ya have some for the rest at MSBY headquarters too?” When Sakusa avoids his gaze, he shrieks affronted. “Omi, this is betrayal! I’ll never forget this!”

“I’ll give you yours,” Sakusa promises. “Just not now.”

“Why? Is it embarrassin’ or something? Hey, Omi stop walking too fast! Hey, don’t close the elevator doors on me! OMI!”   
  


* * *

**[9:56 AM, JOTARO SAITO Kimono Designer Store and Cafe, Ginza, Tokyo, Japan]**

“I see, please send the confirmation list to me, Shirofuku-san,” Akaashi orders through his car’s Bluetooth call system. He never was one for expensive cars but he acknowledges they do have wonderful utilities. “And if there are any cancellations please tell me as soon as possible. Their attendance is a must. I’ll be ending the call now, Shirofuku-san. There is an incoming call.”

He clicks the call button on the side of the steering wheel. “Yes, Hinata-san?”

“Akaashi, I need a kimono as soon as possible,” Fumi says without preamble. “If possible, arrange alterations later at night. Call up some big named make-up artists and get me some accessories while you’re on it. I’ll take care of the old hag. We’re going to a traditional Japanese tea party or something like that. It’s gonna be full of old and rich people trying to act kind and shit in a charity event.”

Akaashi stifles down a sigh. He can’t get his lunch from Onigiri Miya in person then. “I see. Do you have any brand preferences for the kimono?”

“No, I trust you with that. Get one for yourself, too. You’re coming with me.”

“I am? What about getting information on the last board member? I’m on my way to that right now.”

“Have Kenma take care of it,” Fumi instructs. “You’ve been attracting too much attention lately with gathering information. Lay low for now because tomorrow might be something we won’t recover from.”

Akaashi changes the destination on the GPS screen. “I see. I’ll do as you say then.”

“Let’s meet up later, Akaashi,” Fumi says. “I can’t tell you over the phone.”

“I see. I’ll see you later at the fittings then, Hinata-san.”

When the call ends, Akaashi groans and thumps his head on the steering wheel. How tiring, he wants to see the interesting person behind the lunchbox. He sits up properly after a few seconds just in time for the red light to turn green.

Following the directions on the screen, Akaashi drives to the Jotaro Saito kimono store in Ginza. The kimono designer is respected and well-known for his modern twist to traditional style designs featured in runways since 2016. The store should have designs at the ready.

Jotaro Saito’s designer kimono store is located inside Mori building in Ginza. Recognizable with its eye-catching floor and ceilings of Saito’s designs, the store also contains a cafe for its patrons. Following a minimalistic look, the designer pieces are displayed in geometric platforms covered in glass cases. On the walls are wooden shelves tilted down to display kimono fabric designs. 

The staff greets him as he enters, flocking to him when he tells them his name. An attendant leads him to a large private suite at the back. There, an employee is ready with tea to offer to him along with a selection of hand-sized snacks on a tray from the cafe. Akaashi seats himself on a plush armchair, observing the design on the fabric. The design is an intricate pattern of waves and circles. He made the right decision then.

The manager greets him with a bow and presents him a portfolio on a tablet. Akaashi lets him drone on and on about the seasonal textures and designs. He nods when appropriate and pays attention when the manager narrows down the endless choices to three for him and Fumi each.

“Are they in store right now?” Akaashi asks. It would be too much of a hassle if they’re not.

“Yes, they have just arrived and are not due to be displayed until next week. Actually, you are the first ones to see them before any other customer.”

“Is that so? That’s wonderful then. I would like to see them.”

Five attendants come in to set up the display for the kimonos. Akaashi helps himself to the offered tea and the delicacies, taking notes of the ones he especially liked. He watches as an attendant pulls down steel cables from the ceiling with a device before attaching them to wooden rods. They hang the kimono on the rods, spreading it to showcase the designs. They do this again and again until the kimonos are hanging behind each other.

“The first one is perfect for a lady of the house as it showcases femininity and gracefulness with the cool dark blue-green kimono and flower designs of darker color. The accompanying obi is a light color of grey with cyan flowers as accents. You may notice the subtle yellow flowers placed sparsely on the other flowers. This directs the viewer’s eyes from top to bottom in order to make them appraise the kimono as an art.”

The kimono is slid aside to reveal the next one.

“This macaroon cream white shade of white texture is an excellent choice with its flowers separated by the bold black lines that creates a geometrical balance along with the hexagon patterns. The obi is a simple pattern of half-diamonds in a gradient from alabaster white to ivory white.”

Akaashi grows bored listening to the manager’s poetic dramatizations of the kimonos. He narrows them down to: blue-green with flowers, white with flowers, and maroon flowers. Personally, he liked the first one with its clean design but he needs Fumi to gather all the attention from him. He chooses the last one for its bold designs.

It’s a wonderful kimono with a black base and maroon flowers scattered near the shoulder and the hip. Geometrical shapes taper off the side into the hem. The obi is a geometrical pattern of ripples made of black lines on grey cloth. With a few accessories, Fumi should look ready for a charity event.

For him, he chooses a simple wave-patterned black yukata with a simple dark blue haori. He opts for a simple black and blue patterned obi above a simple grey hakama. If he’s going to sneak around in the event he should make sure there are no chances of dirtying his kimono. It would be highly suspicious for a secretary to look haggard in a charity event.

He looks at his choices one more time before handing the tablet back to the manager. “Put the bill under Hinata Fumi’s name. Please send me a copy of the receipt via my email address. If it’s possible, I would like the alterations done tonight.”

“Understood. Is there anything else you would like me to do for you?”

“Do you have any accessories as well?”

“Unfortunately, Jotaro Saito only expanded his designs to handbags,” the manager informs him regretfully. “Though we can direct you to other stores who are known for their quality designs of traditional accessories.”

This is going to be a pain. “That would be wonderful. I would also like to take home some of the delicacies you have offered me. I greatly enjoyed them.”

“Our cafe employees would be glad you enjoyed their selection. Please, follow me. I shall lead you to the cafe to have them personally thank you.”

Akaashi flashes him a polite smile. He wonders if it’s appropriate to order a dozen of the snacks. He’s getting hungry from skipping breakfast.

* * *

**[10:20 AM, Training Room, MSBY Headquarters, Tokyo, Japan]**

The MSBY Headquarters pride itself with its utilities such as their Information Division headed by Shirabu Kenjirou, their PR Department capable of hiding even the biggest scandals by Semi Eita, and their catered weapons provided by Kozume Kenma’s company. These supports equip their agents to the best of their form. 

Another source of pride of the MSBY Headquarters is their state-of-the-art underground military class training rooms. Modeled after the training classrooms of the Secret Services, the training rooms are as big as half a football court. Complete with a spacious gym, matted floors rooms for sparring, and sparring dummies the training grounds are the second homes of the Black Jackal agents. In order to do their missions, their physique is required in top form.

The MSBY requires every agent to undergo a physical evaluation every month. Under the watchful eyes of their resident physicians and fighting instructors, the agents’ physical health are put to test.

“Tsum-Tsum, hey!” Bokuto greets enthusiastically, giving Atsumu a hearty high five. “Hello, Sakusa! How are you?”

“I’m okay.”

“Hey, Bokkun. Yer here for an early physical too?”

“Yep,” Bokuto says, beaming wide. “I have a mission later so I have to do it now. It’s a good thing because now we can spar each other. I miss sparring with you guys!”

Atsumu thinks of Bokuto’s sharp punches and gives Sakusa a discreet panicked look. Sakusa raises a brow before inclining his head, telling him  _ You can’t get out of this _ . Atsumu sighs in defeat and starts to stretch on the mats when Sakusa starts his stretches.

“How’s your case going?” Bokuto asks, bending down to talk to them better. “I heard you got a witness.”

“We do,” Atsumu replies. “We’re just waiting for them to wake up before we can do anything. Me and Omi will probably look around for other informats while we wait. What about you, Bokkun?”

“Mhm, the mission I’m going to later will be an ambush during an operation so we’re hoping we’ll catch some big fish,” Bokuto pouts. “This case has been dragging so long because whenever we catch someone they point to another bigger someone.”

Atsumu winces. “Ah, those cases are the worst. They get bigger and bigger and before ya knew it you have three to four cases on yer lap.”

“Riiiight?” Bokuto whines. “And because I’m acting captain I have to do all of them. Shirabu-san won’t let me give some smaller cases to other agents because I discovered it.”

Sakusa snorts. “He will definitely say you’re slacking if you ask for a case pass-over.”

“Riiight? Shirabu-san is cruel, especially when he gives me that flat look. He’s so scary.”

“What are the three of you whining about?” A booming voice asks. “We haven’t even started yet.”

Nishinoya Yuu stands over them, hands on his hips as he stares down at them. He’s in a dark fitted shirt and shorts, the typical exercise outfit for Crow agents. Ah, he just got back from training the Crows then. He grins down at them boyishly, slanted eyes promising a gruelling evaluation for the three of them.

Sakusa does not hold back. “Ugh.”

“Hey, Sakusa! You just came back but you’re already like that!” Nishinoya points at Sakusa who tries to hide behind Atsumu. “Just for that I’m adding twenty more to your push-ups requirements!”

“That’s an abuse of power,” Sakusa objects. 

“Like I give a shit,” Nishinoya shoots back. “Stop cuddling Atsumu so he can stand up. You requested for an early evaluation so don’t waste my time. And learn how to control your PDA.”

Atsumu tries to reply but is reduced to swallowing back his words when Sakusa wraps his arms around Atsumu’s waist in a side hug. 

“You’re one to talk,” Sakusa says petulantly, “when you always go annoy Azumane-san in the disguise department for affection.”

“Yeah, and what about it?” Nishinoya challenges. “People who have no labels in their relationship can’t talk.”

Sakusa hisses and Atsumu sighs. Bokuto looks on excitedly at the drama unfolding in front of him.

“Are you guys going to do the physical evaluation or are you just going to annoy each other?” Ennoshita Chikara, the resident physician, asks wryly. “And Nishinoya is right, we have limited time right now. We should get started.”

Atsumu sighs in relief. Ennoshita is thorough in his evaluation exams but he’s also kind. If it was anyone else, Atsumu would probably be in pain during dinner.

Nishinoya barks orders at them throughout the training drills. Basic exercises, suicides, one-on-one sparring with him (with and without gloves), one-on-one sparring with each other, and rope climbing. He tested their flexibility which Sakusa aced much to Nishinoya’s annoyance. He also made them hit the gym’s treadmills and made them lift weights. 

Atsumu flops down on the mat, panting after finishing his last set. Sakusa pushes a water bottle to his face and snatches it back when he tries to drink it while laying on the floor. 

“Get up, don’t be lazy,” Sakusa scolds, pushing the cold bottle to Atsumu’s cheeks.

“Dun wanna,” Atsumu pants, “too. Tired.”

“You’ll choke if you drink it like that,” Sakusa says, “get up. We still need to go to Ennoshita-san.”

Atsumu closes his eyes. “I wanna go to sleep, Omi.”

“We need to go to dinner later. Don’t fall asleep now or you’ll have a hard time sleeping later.”   
  


Atsumu’s eyes pop open when Bokuto flops down on him. “Tsum-Tsum, let’s go!”

“Bokkun, get off yer heavy!”

After cool down, Ennoshita examined their physical health one by one. He made sure to pay special attention to any past injuries and told them to seek a doctor if pain persists. He wrote down their results in a computer to send to the Information Division and sent them on their way.

* * *

**[11:05 AM, Shibuya Crossing, Shibuya City, Tokyo, Japan]**

The Shibuya Crossing is a popular tourist destination in Shibuya City. Many people from different places come here to take pictures or to simply cross the intersection. It is home to the popular shopping district in Shibuya which attracts people for another reason. Different people of origins rub shoulders here as they cross the four-way intersection.

“Man, it’s been years since I returned and Shibuya’s still as busy as ever,” Yaku Morisuke whistles, staring at the hundreds of people moving in tandem like ants as the walking man turns green. “It almost looked like it didn’t change a bit.”

“Do you like going here before, Yaku-san?” Lev asks, handing Yaku a coffee from Starbucks. “Wow, that model looks cool!”   
  


Yaku looks up on the large LED screen on the 109 shopping building. The model is a young man, probably around 19 years old, sensually pulling his hair back to stare into the camera. The first three buttons of his silk black shirt are unbuttoned, the top part of his defined chest in display. A bottle of a branded perfume is displayed at the bottom left of the screen. He reminds Yaku of someone.

Yaku sips his coffee. “Why, you miss modeling?”

Lev thinks of the contract Yaku gave him the pleasure of burning. “Nah, I don’t miss it. ‘Cause I’m with Yaku-san now!”

“Dumbass,” Yaku snorts. “That’s not a good thing.”

“Why not?” Lev asks, looking down at Yaku who returns his look unimpressed. “Yaku-san is free and so am I. We only do what we need to do and what we want to do. Isn’t that enough?”

“What the-” Yaku pinches Lev on the side, making the tall Russian hiss. “Your standards are too low, raise them up a bit.”

“Yaku-san, you’re the pinnacle of standards though?”

Yaku hides his heated cheeks behind the coffee cup. “Shut up, stop saying dumb things.” He peeks up at Lev. “Do you really mean that?”

“Of course I do!” Lev beams. “‘Cause Yaku-san is my hero!”

Yakus grins. “Heh, you’re making me sound all cool when all I did was give you the key.”

“Well, no one else gave me a key so my point still stands.” Lev drinks his hot chocolate. “And now I can eat and drink chocolate without being scared.”

What a child. “There’s a good store for kimonos here. Do you wanna buy one for yourself? I know we already had rentals but you can have one as a souvenir or something.”

“Oh, that’s a good idea. I’ll buy one for big sister Alisa then,” Lev hums happily. “What color do you think she likes the most? Will she like a pink one?”

“Who knows? Let’s ask her after we see her again.”

“Tomorrow, Yaku-san?”

“Tomorrow,” Yaku promises. “We’ll see her tomorrow.”

* * *

**[2: 45 PM, PR Department, MSBY Headquarters, Tokyo, Japan]**

“Another melting pot of stuck-up rich guys,” Semi says sourly, staring at the large wall monitor of the PR Department’s main base. It’s currently displaying a list of invites to an event. “God, I hate these stupid charity events. There’s going to be lots of driving while drunk cases that we have to cover up.”

“Well, it’s easily solved with money,” Hanamaki Takahiro says next to him, “the real pain in the ass are the family scandals like a second family or something.”

“Oh, don’t remind me of those,” Semi complains. “I fucking hate those rich CEOs. Why can’t they keep it in their pants?”

“Well, they have money so they have no fear,” Matsukawa Issei says, not looking up from his game on his phone, “as long as you have money you can do anything.”

“Ah, isn’t that a nice life,” Hanamaki muses. “A life where you can do anything you want. Ah, Issei, a player’s sneaking on your left.”

“Thanks, I should buy an upgrade for my gun.” A second later, the screen proclaims him dead. “Ah, dammit. Anyway, what’s so bad about this charity event? It’s the same as anything else.”

“No, it’s not,” Semi taps a button and a fourth of all the names are bolded in red. “Those people are under strict watch. They’re in suspicion of being involved in a shitstorm Shirabu keeps bitching about.”

“Do you know the details?” Hanamaki asks, interested. “Are they going to send an infiltration team to the party?”

“Not sure yet, Shirabu still hasn’t decided. What he did decide,” Semi sighs, all-suffering, “is we’re gonna dig up all their past PR shit for him.  _ All  _ of it.”

Hanamaki dramatically wails on Matsukawa’s shoulder. “Oh, Issei. Did you hear the bitter news of the prophet? We will not be diving into drama but into  _ paperwork _ .”

“I know, my dear,” Matsukawa says, voice flat. He holds Hanamaki’s hand. “The suffering we must do in order to do our jobs, are there any other people worthy of the title of a hero?"

“Shut it, you two,” Shirabu says behind them, startling the two agents. “After this whole thing, you’re going to be in deeper paperwork, anyway. Think of this as a practice.”

Semi gives Shirabu a look. “Why are you here?”   


Shirabu shuffles forward, dragging his feet. The smell of strong coffee sticks to his suit making Semi grimace.

“The Hinata meeting is coming up,” Shirabu grumbles. “You’re going to have a PR shitstorm in a few days. Akaashi Keiji has been making too much movement; he’s been visiting the other board members. I think they’re trying to kick out the head.”

Semi’s eyes almost bulge out of their sockets. “What the fuck? How did you know this?”

Shirabu keeps him waiting by gulping down his coffee. “Yamaguchi predicted it when a Crow reported the unusual movement. I think they’re speeding up the process.”

“Do we tell the head?”

“Why should we? We don’t have any loyalty to any of the family heads. But it’s up to you,” Shirabu shrugs. “If changing of the family head is a pain in the ass for you because it’s going to fuck everything up maybe we’ll do something about it. Though with how much of a bastard the son is, I doubt it.”

“Ah yes,” Matsukawa drawls. “The wild Hinata Haruto. With all his flashing of his nameless black credit card at the girls in the red district.”

“Which could have been fine if he just keeps it discreet but no,” Hanamaki sighs, ever so dramatic, “he just has to  _ show  _ his cheating ways to the whole world as an attempt of power display. A true idiot.”

Shirabu gestures as if to say  _ See?  _ “There’s your jury. What’s your decision?”

“I have to admit, I do want to kick Hinata Haruto off with how much pain he causes,” Semi runs a hand over his face. “But I also know not to mix my personal feelings at work. Well, we can’t offer help to Hinata Fumi because she’s not the head. But if there ever is an instance in which we can provide aid for her without breaking the rules…”

“You’ll take it,” Shirabu supplies. “I’ll see if I can do something about that. According to my sources, Haruto’s not even the power of command in the headquarters. It’s Fumi.”

“Well, that makes things easier,” Semi says. “The favors seem to be working in her favor.”

“Not if the dragon catches on,” Shirabu says. “If she can best that cunning dragon, I’m sure she’s worthy of being the head of such a large family powerhouse.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! This fic is still alive lololol. Also, we're back in the present. If you're still reading this, I hope you enjoy this one and I hope it's not too confusing. We're almost to the climax so I'm kinda excited in writing it!!
> 
> If you have TWT let's be MOOTS!! (ɔˆз(ˆ⌣ˆc) My @ is **[@dai_naning](@dai_naning)**!!


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